CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Ecclesiastical Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations he has received regarding updating ecclesiastical law, with particular reference to the employment of clergy.

Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners have received no such representations. The Archbishops' Council is, with representatives of other Christian bodies and faith communities, actively engaged in discussions with the DTI on this issue. The Church of England's review group, under the chairmanship of Professor David McClean, will bring its second report to the Archbishops' Council later this year and to the General Synod in February 2005. If Synod approves the group's proposals, the Church will begin to prepare the legislation necessary to implement them.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

REACH Proposal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answers to questions 189034 and 189035, what proportion of the total direct costs across the EU for implementing the REACH proposal will fall on (a) industry and (b) the public purse.

Alun Michael: The Government have worked with industry and others to ensure that the benefits of the REACH proposals to human health and the environment are well focussed on achieving maximum practical benefit with a minimum of direct impact on industrial competitiveness. In particular our own proposals for "one substance, one registration" are intended to lower costs to industry as well as creating a level playing field across Europe and keeping animal testing to a minimum. We have presented proposals jointly with the Hungarian Government and received positive responses from other Governments to our proposals which will now be considered and discussed further within the EU. Estimates have to be based on proposals as they stand at any given stage and our suggestions are not yet part of the official proposals. Based on the Commission's proposals, the results from the UK partial Regulatory Impact Assessment referred to in the answers to questions 189034 and 189035 (i.e. an estimated direct cost of £515 million over the 11 year phase in period which is equivalent to total direct costs across the EU of approximately £2.4 billion) are estimates of the costs to be incurred by industry. This is in line with European Commission estimates published in October 2003 of a maximum overall cost of the revised proposal to be €7.5 billion. We are currently carrying out further impact assessment work to assess the indirect costs passed down the supply chain.
	The European Commission estimates published in October 2003 indicate that, in addition to testing and registration costs, the chemicals industry is estimated to pay some €0.3 billion in fees to the new European chemicals agency. The costs of establishing and running the European chemicals agency under the REACH system were estimated at some €0.4 billion as a one-off cost over 11 years. This cost will be met from the fees paid by industry (€0.3 billion) and the remainder from the Community budget.
	In the UK, the appointment of a Competent Authority or Authorities is a practical issue relating to the introduction of REACH and will be subject to a consultation exercise in the future.

Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on nature conservation in urban areas.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 October 2004
	Working with the grain of nature—a biodiversity strategy for England (Defra 2002) sets out the Government's vision for biodiversity in urban areas. The strategy recognises that a flourishing biodiversity makes a real contribution to the quality of life of urban residents and visitors alike. It aims to ensure that biodiversity conservation is integral to sustainable urban communities by enhancing biodiversity in green spaces and among developments in urban areas so that they are used by wildlife and valued by people. It aims to ensure that construction, planning, development and regeneration have minimal impacts on biodiversity and enhance it where possible. A workstream group has been established to develop and take forward a work programme to implement the goals.
	The Department has been working closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the preparation of a draft planning policy statement which was published for consultation last month. The draft PPS9 sets out the Government's policy objectives on biodiversity and geological conservation in England. These policies are firmly rooted in working with the grain of nature, including the objectives for urban areas.

Dairy Cows

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what central records are kept on the incidence of mastitis in cattle; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her Department's policy is on (a) monitoring and (b) addressing lameness in dairy cows; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many dairy cows were culled due to lameness in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no central records of the incidence of mastitis or lameness in dairy cattle. However, I am well aware of the seriousness of these welfare problems and their impact on the dairy industry.
	That is why we continue to fund research in these areas. We are currently funding two research projects into the causes and control of cattle lameness at a cost of more than £800,000. Defra also has a contract with the Agricultural Development Advisory Service to run an advisory programme for farmers to encourage good welfare. A significant part of the contract is used for providing free advice to individual farmers, which often includes giving advice on ways they could help to alleviate mastitis and lameness levels in their herds. The most substantial part of the contract is used to fund awareness campaigns on topics of welfare concern. The campaigns aim to promote good practice, highlight the latest research and to discuss practical experiences. This year (and not for the first time) we are funding a series of meetings for farmers advising them on how to reduce the incidence of mastitis and promoting Defra's Mastitis Management Action Plan, which was developed in 1999. Lameness in dairy cattle has also been a major topic over the last few years. Last year, for example, we held a series of meetings on reducing injuries to dairy cows and produced an interactive CD-ROM aimed at helping farmers identify potential causes of injury to dairy cattle and provide guidance on minimising such risks.
	The Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Cattle (which was revised last year) and its associated publications also provide advice on how to treat and prevent mastitis and lameness in dairy cows.

RAF Pershore

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on (a) the management of her Department's burial site at RAF Pershore and (b) its plans for the future use of the site and the land adjacent to it owned by her Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department continues to take a sensitive and constructive approach at Pershore. The landscape on the leased area has been improved and plantings are maturing. The addition of a water course has benefited drainage. The site and its impact on the environment is subject to close professional supervision and scrutiny by the Environment Agency, the local authority and Defra. Both ground water and surface water quality are closely monitored and remain normal. In addition, surface water drains into a reed bed designed to purify the water before it discharges to the brook on the south side of the site. Close monitoring of the whole site will continue.
	The two freehold cottages are currently on the open market for sale. The Department has not yet settled on its strategy for the disposal of the remaining freehold land, but has appointed professional consultants to give advice.

Rural Transport Partnerships

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has for the future of rural transport partnerships after funding support transfers from the Countryside Agency to regional development agencies;
	(2)  what plans she has to allow rural transport partnerships to bid for community enterprise funds once funding from the Countryside Agency ceases;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on what funding sources she expects will be made available to help deliver the Countryside Agency's rural transport partnerships projects;
	(4)  how much money which was allocated in outline to rural transport plans by the Countryside Agency, but which was subsequently not spent, has been re-assimilated into her Department's budget;
	(5)  when her Department will be producing an evaluation of the effectiveness of rural transport partnerships;
	(6)  if she will make a statement on the withdrawal of the communities services grant from the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages programme; and what alternative sources of funding are available.

Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency funds Rural Transport Partnerships through their Vital Villages programme. The Agency will continue to fund existing projects and commitments until the Vital Villages programme closes on 31 March 2006. From 1 April 2005 Defra will devolve decision making on the delivery of economic and social regeneration policies to the regional development agencies. The regional development agencies are charged with contributing to the delivery of DEFRA's Public Service Agreement target to improve the accessibility of services for people in rural England. In recognition of their larger role in the delivery of DEFRA's policies, we have given the regional development agencies an additional £21.3 million per annum for the years 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08.
	These new arrangements will mean considerable changes for how DEFRA achieves its rural objectives. regional development agencies, working with their partners, will be responsible for deciding how to spend their resources and grants may not be available for the types of projects that have been supported through the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages programme hitherto. But I am confident that by devolving these responsibilities to the regional development agencies and increasing their resources, rural delivery will become more responsive to local priorities and better focused on areas and people that need it most.
	From now until the closure of the Vital Villages programme the Countryside Agency is working to mainstream the work of the Rural Transport Partnerships and share good practice.
	£14 million has been invested in the Vital Villages programme this year. Although separate figures for rural transport plans are not available, the larger Vital Villages programme underspent by £80,000 in 2003–04. This underspend was not reallocated to DEFRA expenditure. In June the Agency published a "Guide to Finding Funding for Rural Transport Partnership Projects" (available in hard copy from the Agency and on their website, www.countryside.gov.uk) and some funding for small scale community transport schemes, such as mini-bus links, is available through DEFRA's Rural Enterprise Scheme.
	The Agency published an evaluation of the Rural Transport Partnerships in June 2004 (also available in hard copy from the Agency and on their website) and is holding a national conference on 27 October to publicise the Partnerships' work and achievements.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Catering Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will make representations to the Director of Catering Services to implement a strategy to minimise food miles.

Dennis Turner: I am sympathetic to the hon. Member's wish to reduce food miles by sourcing as much produce as possible locally. The Refreshment Department uses a great deal of British produce, selected on the basis of its quality and value for money. I have asked the Director of Catering Services to investigate the feasibility of implementing a strategy to minimise food miles as part of the Refreshment Department's food procurement objectives, so far as is consistent with the legal procurement framework within which all public purchasing operates, and the various regional promotions run by the Department.

Catering Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will make representations to the Director of Catering Services to increase the percentage of food sourced organically.

Dennis Turner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 April 2004, Official Report, column 905–06W.
	I have asked the Director of Catering Services to continue to be alert to opportunities to increase the percentage of food sourced organically, but I am aware that the Refreshment Department's ability to achieve this remains constrained by both supply chain limitations and by consumer price sensitivity.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Works of Art

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many paintings and works of art are held in store by the House.

Archy Kirkwood: The House of Commons Commission is responsible only for matters affecting this House. However, I understand that there are 6,791 works of art in the permanent collections of the House of Commons and House of Lords, of which approximately 1,900 are currently held in store. This number includes 35 paintings and 26 sculptures, which are in store only temporarily until they are relocated within the Parliamentary Estate. The other items in store are predominantly small prints and photographs. If the hon. Member wishes to visit the store, I am sure that the Curator would be delighted to arrange it.

Oriel Room

Kate Hoey: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost of (a) consultants, (b) materials, (c) labour, (d) design and (e) supervision of work was for the changes to the Oriel Room; and where the high desks have been stored.

Archy Kirkwood: The recent works in the Oriel Room were undertaken as part of two major projects: the tenth phase of the PDVN programme which includes the installation of automatic fire detection systems; and the installation of blast resistant glazing to the Principal Floor. These are extensive projects having total values of some £4 million and £1 million respectively; the latter being spread over three years. Owing to the complexities of both projects it is not possible to apportion the costs for the Oriel Room separately.
	While the Oriel Room was disrupted, the opportunity was taken to introduce a new furniture layout. This was partly in response to adverse comments about the lighting and layout of the Members' Library in the "House of Commons Survey of Services in 2003", to underpin the Library's Change Project and to improve the ergonomic conditions for Library staff. The plans were reviewed by the Information Committee before the summer recess.
	During the closure of the Library the Oriel and Reference Room ceilings were cleaned and other minor works undertaken.
	The new furniture was designed by the PWSD Furnishings team after discussions with Library staff; no consultants were used.
	The original desks, which were installed in 1986, have now gone into off-site storage.

Visitors

Lynne Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the new visitor passes are retrieved from visitors when they leave the Parliamentary Estate; and if he will make a statement on their introduction;
	(2)  if the Commission will take steps to ensure that photographs on parliamentary passes are checked at all entry and exit points on the Parliamentary Estate;
	(3)  how many visitor passes have been issued to date; and how many have been returned.

Archy Kirkwood: It is not the practice of the House of Commons Commission to publish details of the operation of security arrangements on the Parliamentary Estate. I have asked the Serjeant at Arms to contact the hon. Member.

TREASURY

Child Accidents

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children died in accidents at home in the Greater London area in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 26 October 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many children died in accidents in the home in the Greater London area in the last five years. (193156)
	The latest available data are for 2003. Figures for children aged under 16 are given in the following table.
	
		Deaths from accidents in the home(1) London,(2) 1999 to 2003 3
		
			  Number of deaths 
		
		
			 1999 18 
			 2000 13 
			 2001 9 
			 2002 15 
			 2003 10 
		
	
	(1) Selected using codes E849-E928 excluding E870-E879 from the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision for 1999 and 2000 and codes W00-X59 from the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision for 2001 to 2003, where the place of accident was 'home'.
	(2) Residents of London Government Office Region.
	(3) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Corporation Tax

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised by the withdrawal of advance corporation tax credit on (a) pensions and (b) charities in each year since it was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: The abolition of payable tax credits was an essential part of a wider package of Corporation Tax reforms, including cuts in CT rates, designed to encourage investment. The estimated impact of the abolition of payable tax credits for pension funds, charities and others is quoted in the Financial Statement and Budget Report, July 1997. A separate figure for charities is not available.

Hospices (VAT)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was paid by UK hospices in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Customs and Excise data do not identify VAT registered hospices specifically and in any case would not identify any VAT incurred by hospices that could not be recovered. Therefore no figures for VAT paid by hospices are available.

Identity Card Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent research he has (a) conducted or (b) commissioned into the cost effectiveness of the proposed identity card scheme.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my predecessor on 21 April 2004, Official Report, column 505W.

Julie McEvoy

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the handling of the tax credits award for Miss Julie McEvoy of Buckfastleigh for the 2003–04 and 2004–05 tax years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I understand that the Inland Revenue has made a thorough investigation of Miss McEvoy's case and wrote to the hon. Member on 25 October 2004.

National Debt

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the national debt (a) is and (b) was in 1997.

Paul Boateng: Public sector net debt at the end of September 2004 stood at 33.6 per cent. of GDP, whereas at the end of September 1997 it stood at 43.5 per cent. of GDP.

Police Funding

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will ensure that adequate funds are made available to the Home Office to ensure that Northampton Police Authority receives the grant for the financial year 2005–06 that the national funding formula indicates it needs;
	(2)  if he will make an additional grant to all police authorities for the financial year 2005–06 similar to the additional grant given to all local authorities in December 2003.

Paul Boateng: The 2002 spending review provided for record growth in spending on crime, justice and communities, from £16.5 billion in 2002–03 to £20.5 billion in 2005–06. The 2004 spending review builds on this progress by embedding the Government's success in delivery and further increasing spending in these areas by £3.5 billion by 2007–08, compared to 2004–05. The Home Secretary is due to announce policing allocations for 2005–06 shortly.

Single Parent Households

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single parent households headed by (a) mothers and (b) fathers there are, broken down by ethnic group.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 26 October 2004
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many single parent households headed by (a) mothers and (b) fathers there are, broken down by ethnic group. 192638
	Figures from the 2001 Census indicate that there were 2,297,153 lone parent households in England and Wales, of which 1,979,295 households were headed by a female Household Reference Person and 317,858 households were headed by a male Household Reference Person. Specially commissioned table C0344 has been run to provide the ethnic group of the Household Reference Person. This has been placed in the House of Commons Library and can also be accessed on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/op15.asp

STEPS Agreement

Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was paid to external commercial, legal and financial advisers in respect of the STEPS agreement;
	(2)  how much was paid by the Department to Mapeley STEPS Contractor Ltd. in each year to April (a) 2002 (b) 2003 and (c) 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: pursuant to my answers, 15 June 2004, Official Report, c. 835W
	I very much regret that my earlier answers inadvertently contained information which has subsequently proved to be incorrect.
	I am advised that costs in respect of external commercial, legal and financial advice were:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 STEPS Project (pre-contract "go-live") 7.5 
			 STEPS Contract 1.3 
		
	
	Payments made to Mapeley STEPS Contractor Ltd. were as follows:
	
		
			 Year to April £ million 
		
		
			 2002 234.7 
			 2003 305.9 
			 2004 311.2

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit awards had been stopped as at 30 September due to claimants' failure to supply income data by the 30 September deadline; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: None had been stopped as at 30 September.

Tsar Appointments

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: None.

Unemployment (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of unemployment in the Greater London area is.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 26 October 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Greater London. (193796)
	It is estimated that, for the three months ending in August 2004, the unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over resident in the Greater London area was 6.9 per cent. This estimate is seasonally adjusted.
	This estimate from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

Unpaid Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total amount of unpaid tax, broken down by each available category, in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is as follows:
	Inland Revenue
	I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 4 March 2003, Official Report, column 912W, and 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 1697W. The NAO report, "The Recovery of Debt by the Inland Revenue", was published in March 2004 and can be found online at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao reports/03–04/0304363.pdf
	HM Customs and Excise
	I refer the hon. Member to the HM Customs and Excise Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03, which was published in December 2003, and is available in the Library of the House.

Working Tax Credit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people classed as disabled have claimed working tax credit in Coventry South.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Morley and Rothwell (Mr. Challen) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 589W.

WALES

Correspondence

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters he has received from hon. Members in the last four months; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: 26 letters were received from hon. Members from Wales from June to September 2004.
	During that period the Wales Office also received 152 other letters and over 1,600 pieces of inter departmental correspondence.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Don Touhig: None. The Wales Office does not provide residential properties for the use of either Ministers or officials.

Tsar Appointments

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: None.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Leader of the House if he will carry out scrutiny of the number of offences (a) created and (b) repealed in the Government legislative programme in each session.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

Information Technology

Barbara Follett: To ask the Leader of the House what recent discussions he has had about the provision of information technology equipment and access for hon. Members.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has had discussions with both Members and officials of the House regarding the recommendations on information technology in the report of the Senior Salaries Review Body's review of parliamentary pay and allowances. He welcomes these recommendations and intends to propose to the House that IT equipment and support be increased as recommended.

Voters Guide

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Leader of the House what proposals he has submitted to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons on sending a new voters guide to every 18-year-old.

Phil Woolas: In its report on "Connecting Parliament with the Public", the Modernisation Committee, which my right hon. Friend chairs, recommended that the House devise a new voter's guide to be sent to all young people around the time of their 18th birthday. It envisaged that this might contain information on how to register to vote; the role and function of an MP, local councillor and other elected officials; how politics affects people's lives and a brief history of Parliament. This proposal is now under consideration by the House of Commons Commission.

September Sittings

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has received regarding the September sitting of the House; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: A number of Members have expressed views on September sittings in evidence to the Modernisation Committee's inquiry on the sitting hours of the House, and in response to the letter which my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House sent to all Members on 29 June. The Modernisation Committee is considering these responses as part of its inquiry.

Child Care

Julie Morgan: To ask the Leader of the House what proposals he has made to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons on providing child care in the House of Commons.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has made no proposals to the Modernisation Committee on child care in the House of Commons, but he has taken a close interest in discussions in the House of Commons Commission on this subject. He welcomes the increase in value in the child care vouchers paid to House staff, and their extension to Members' staff.

SCOTLAND

Pensions (Women)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with ministerial colleagues on the level of basic state pension received by women pensioners in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I are in regular touch with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues. The hon. Member will appreciate that pensions matters in general, and the particular position of women pensioners, are matters of great concern to the Government at the moment.

Army Recruitment

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Army recruitment to the Scottish regiments in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: Although this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, Scottish soldiers have an important continuing role in the United Kingdom's defence plans.

Army Recruitment

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last discussed recruitment to the Scottish regiments with the Secretary of State for Defence.

Alistair Darling: I am in regular contact with my right hon. Friend and discuss a wide range of issues.

Broadband

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will be making recommendations on rural broadband in Scotland during the telecommunications review.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office works closely with the Ofcom team in Scotland on a range of broadcasting and telecommunications issues. I am aware of the detailed consultation response from the Scottish Executive which places emphasis on the importance of getting rural aspects right.

Economy

Malcolm Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the Scottish economy.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor on a range of matters.

Disability Discrimination Act

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Scotland Office has taken since 1 October to highlight the new obligations on service providers following the introduction of part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Anne McGuire: It has been Government policy to highlight new obligations on service providers as early as possible prior to the implementation date of 1 October. The Department for Work and Pensions has undertaken a major publicity campaign throughout the country to increase awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act and particularly the duties for employers and service providers, including a direct mailing to around one million small businesses.
	In addition, in Scotland, the DRC worked closely with Scottish business organisations and my hon. Friend, the Advocate-General, addressed an awareness raising reception with guests representing disabled people, businesses and public sector organisations a few days prior to the implementation date.

Call Boxes (Rural Areas)

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet BT authorities in Scotland to discuss call boxes in rural areas.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I are aware of the issues but have no current plans to meet BT authorities.

Army

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the future structure of the Army in Scotland.

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the Scottish infantry regiments.

Alistair Darling: I am in regular contact with my right hon. Friend and we discuss a wide range of issues.

Jobcentres (Lanarkshire)

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss closures of Jobcentres in Lanarkshire.

Alistair Darling: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my right hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge and Chryston (Mr. Clarke).

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Diana Organ: To ask the Solicitor-General when she will issue the strategic plan and guidance for the Crown Prosecution Service's resources as a result of successful confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Harriet Harman: The 2004 Spending Review provided for a new scheme to incentivise criminal justice agencies to recover asset from criminals. The Crown Prosecution Service is working with colleagues from the Serious Fraud Office, the Customs and Excise Prosecution Office, the Home Office, and the Department of Constitutional Affairs to develop a scheme for agreement with the Treasury. Operational details of the new scheme have not yet been agreed, but it is proposed that it will become operative during 2006–07. At that stage guidance will be issued to the CPS and other agencies.

European Court of Human Rights

Tom Cox: To ask the Solicitor-General how many United Kingdom cases are awaiting hearing before the European Court of Human Rights.

Harriet Harman: There are 351 cases against the United Kingdom pending before the European Court of Human Rights that have been declared admissible or partly admissible by the Court. There has been an oral hearing in five of these cases, but the Court has not yet delivered its judgment on the merits. None of the remaining cases is at present scheduled for an oral hearing; owing to the enormous backlog of cases before the Court, oral hearings are now the exception rather than the rule.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  on what date the Attorney-General (a) gave his advice to the Prime Minister about the legality of the war with Iraq and (b) officially examined Iraq's declaration of December 2002; what he considered to be material breaches in the declaration; on what date he made his opinion on these specific breaches known; whether he first expressed the opinion that there was material breach before he examined Iraq's declaration; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  on what date the Attorney-General (a) gave his advice to the Prime Minister about the legality of the war with Iraq and (b) officially examined Iraq's declaration of December 2002; what he assessed as material breaches in the declaration; on what date he made his opinion on these specific aspects known; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if the Attorney-General will make a further assessment of whether Iraq was in major breach of United Nations resolutions to justify war based on the findings of the Iraq Survey Group report; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 366–387 of the report of the Butler Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction (HC898) which describe the role of intelligence in assessing the legality of the use of force against Iraq. This section of the report sets out the legal process, including when advice was given by the Attorney-General.
	The Butler Report also makes it clear that the advice concerned the legal interpretation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and not WMD-related intelligence. In paragraph 1 of UNSCR 1441, the Security Council itself decided that Iraq was, and remained, in material breach of its obligations under relevant resolutions. In paragraph 4 of resolution 1441, the Security Council also decided that false statements or omissions in the declarations submitted by Iraq pursuant to the resolution and failure by Iraq at any time to comply with, and co-operate fully in the implementation of the resolution would constitute a further material breach of Iraq's obligations. It is a question of fact whether there were any such false statements or omissions in Iraq's declarations and whether Iraq did comply with and cooperate fully in the implementation of the resolution. As appears from paragraph 383 of the Butler Report, it was not for the Law Officers themselves to ascertain what those facts were. As stated in paragraph 385, the Prime Minister formed the view, based on information from a wide range of sources, including UNMOVIC reports, that there were false statements and omissions in the Iraqi declarations and also that Iraq had failed to comply with and cooperate fully in the implementation of resolution 1441.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Analogue Switch-off

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the planned dates for analogue switch-off are broken down by ITV region.

Estelle Morris: Much progress has been made in the discussions between the Government, Ofcom, and Public Service Broadcasters and other stakeholders on the detailed plans for switchover. However, decisions have yet to be made on the timetable for Switchover across the UK by ITV regions.

Analogue Switch-off

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the planned dates are for analogue switch-off for the transmitters at (a) Durris, (b) Rosemarkie, (c) Knock More and (d) Rumster Forest.

Estelle Morris: Discussions are taking place between the Government, Ofcom, and Public Service Broadcasters and other stakeholders on the detailed plans for switchover. However, no specific dates have been set for the conversion of individual transmitters (with the exception of the Technical Trial transmitter in Ferryside which will be converted in March 2005).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Central-Local Government Partnership

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost to public funds of the Central Local Government Partnership conference held at Leeds Castle on 14 and 15 October was; and how many Government Ministers attended.

Phil Hope: The event held at Leeds Castle was a meeting of the Central Local Partnership (CLP)—a forum for leading members from local government to hold discussions with Ministers. The CLP meets three times a year, two meetings are held at the offices of the Local Government Association (LGA) or at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's offices in London, and the October meeting is an Away Day.
	The cost of the event was approximately £23,000, shared equally between central Government and the LGA. Over the two days 14 Ministers attended from Departments that work closely with local authorities. The councillors attending were drawn from all parties represented in local government including the chairman of the LGA, Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Conservative leader of Kent county council. Following is a list of the Ministers and councillors who attended the event:
	Ministers
	Right hon. John Prescott MP, Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	Right hon. Nick Raynsford MP, Minister of State for Local and Regional Government, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	Right hon. Lord Rooker, Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Regeneration, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	Right hon. Keith Hill MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	The hon. Phil Hope MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	Right hon. Paul Boateng MP, Chief Secretary to HM Treasury, Her Majesty's Treasury
	Right hon. Alun Michael MP, Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	The hon. Charlotte Atkins MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport
	The hon. Hazel Blears MP, Minister of State, Home Office
	The hon. Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State, Department of Health
	Right hon. Charles Clarke MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Department for Education and Skills
	The Noble Lord Geoffrey Filkin, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Children and Families, Department for Education and Skills
	The Noble Lord Andrew Macintosh MP, Minister for Media and Heritage, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	The hon. Chris Pond MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions
	Local Government Association Councillors
	Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Chairman of LGA, Kent County Council, Conservative Party
	Peter Chalke CBE, Vice-Chairman of LGA, Wiltshire County Council, Conservative Party
	Simon Milton, Chairman of Improvement Board, Westminster City Council, Conservative Party
	Margaret Eaton OBE, Deputy Chair of LGA, City of Bradford, Conservative Party
	Sir Jeremy Beecham, Vice-Chairman of LGA, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council, Labour Party
	Aiden Rave, Deputy Chairman of LGA Labour Group, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Labour Party
	Dame Sally Powell, Chair of Safety Communities Board, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Labour Party
	David Sparks OBE, Chairman of Environment Board, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Labour Party
	Chris Clarke OBE, Leader of LGA Liberal Democrat Group and Deputy Chairman of LGA, Somerset County Council, Liberal Democrat Party
	Richard Kemp, Deputy Leader of LGA Liberal Democrat Group, Liverpool City Council, Liberal Democrat Party
	Chloe Lambert, Leader of LGA Independent Group and Deputy Chairman of LGA, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Independent Party
	Baroness Ruth Henig, Chair of association of Policy Authorities, Chair of Lancashire Policy authority, Lancashire County Council, Labour Party

Council Tax (Yorkshire)

John Greenway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the (a) City of York council, (b) Ryedale district council, (c) North Yorkshire county council and (d) Scarborough borough council budget was met from council tax receipts in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: The proportion of each council's revenue expenditure met from council tax in 1997–98 and 2004–05 for the four authorities are tabled as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			  1997–98 2004–05 
		
		
			 City of York 28 29 
			 Rydale district council 46 49 
			 North Yorkshire county council 28 31 
			 Scarborough borough council 28 41 
		
	
	The data are as reported by the local authority and use outturn data for 1997–98 and budget data for 2004–05.

Decent Homes Standard

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the cost of meeting the decent homes standard in each local authority area.

Keith Hill: Stock-owning local authorities report to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister the cost of meeting the decent homes standard in the council stock. This covers the cost to bring existing non-decent dwellings up to the decent homes standard, but does not cover work to prevent currently decent dwellings from falling into non-decency. This information has been made available in the Library of the House.

Disabilities Facilities Grant

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing the means test on parents of disabled children for the disabilities facilities grant.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, jointly with the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Disabled Facilities Grant programme. This will include a consideration of a number of changes to the means test including a full analysis of costs. The Review Group will report to Ministers in May 2005.

Disability Housing Registers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to promote the use of disability housing registers;
	(2)  how many local authorities in England operate disability housing registers; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recognises that it is extremely important that people with disabilities and access needs are housed appropriately and that they have the right level of priority for housing under an allocation scheme. Furthermore, the Government want to see housing authorities, and other social landlords, make the best use of our housing stock, and this includes stock which is accessible or has been adapted.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister considers that local authorities would find it useful to operate a disability housing register and should be encouraged to do so, but ultimately it should be up to the authority itself to decide whether it makes sense to do so.
	(1) The statutory Code of Guidance on the Allocation of Accommodation (paragraph 6.11) recommends that housing authorities maintain lists of properties that are suitable for people with disabilities and other special needs groups and that these could be made available to relevant applicants of social housing, free of charge. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult with the Disability Rights Commission and other interested parties on how to strengthen the Code of Guidance to ensure that disabled people are housed appropriately and to make better use of properties which have been designed or adapted for disabled people. A revised Code of Guidance will be issued next year.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is developing a national standard for measuring accessibility through the National Register of Social Housing (NROSH) which should be available by September 2005. NROSH will be a central record of social housing and will collect information on the attributes of each dwelling including size, type and rent. These attributes include three measures of accessibility; first, whether the dwelling meets one of the recognised standards (Lifetime Homes, Housing Corporation Design Standards or Building Regulations—Part M); secondly, counts of the number of steps outside and within the dwelling or block; and finally a record of adaptations which have been carried out. By establishing a national standard for recording accessibility NROSH will assist local authorities in the setting up of local registers. The surveying of properties to collect accessibility information and provision of this to NROSH will be at the discretion of local authorities.
	(2) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect this information.

Gypsies

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local plans the Government Office for the West Midlands has objected to on the grounds of their Gypsy policies.

Keith Hill: The Government Office has made a small number of objections to draft development plans prepared under provisions in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to policies for Gypsy sites. The objections related to issues of compliance with current guidance contained in the Department's Circular 1/94, "Gypsy Sites and Planning". It asks local planning authorities to assess the need for Gypsy accommodation in their areas and, wherever possible, to identify in their plans locations suitable for Gypsy sites, whether local authority or private sites. Where this is not possible authorities are asked to set out clear, realistic criteria for suitable locations as a basis for site provision policies. No objections have been made to policies for Gypsy sites in draft local plans prepared by Wychavon district council in the hon. Member's constituency. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced a review of Circular 1/94.

Housing Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of how many surveyors will be required as a result of the seller's packs provisions included in the Housing Bill; how many are available at the present time; and what estimate he has made of how long it will take to train sufficient surveyors.

Keith Hill: The industry estimates that around 7,500 home inspectors (some working full time some working part time) will be needed to compile home condition reports for home information packs in England and Wales. As this new qualification is dependent on the passage of the Housing Bill, there are no qualified home inspectors yet. However, independent research by Asset Skills, the relevant sector skills council, shows that between 10,000 and 18,000 people working in property services or related industries are expected to convert to work as home inspectors. This indicates that there will be sufficient qualified inspectors available to provide the required number of home condition reports when the reforms are implemented in January 2007. All home inspectors will have to belong to a certification scheme and will have to obtain the required home inspection qualification before they can become members. The length of training will depend on the candidate's level of existing knowledge and experience. This could range between a matter of months for a RICS surveyor already doing similar work, to the equivalent of a full time two year course followed by a period of "on the job" training for someone with no previous experience.

Housing Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what implementation date the Government plan for the provisions of the Housing Bill relating to seller's packs; and what assessment he has made of whether sufficient professional indemnity insurance will be available in the market by that date.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister anticipates that the home information pack reforms will be implemented in January 2007. But we will not introduce compulsory home condition reports until we are satisfied that all the necessary elements are in place, including satisfactory indemnity insurance for home inspectors. This continues to be the subject of extensive research and discussion and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has established programme management arrangements involving consumer representatives and key industry stakeholders to provide help and guidance on this. Assisted by the Association of British Insurers and our industry working group, discussions with commercial insurers are taking place aimed at identifying options based on a commercial approach. The possible basis for an insurance regime will be published when this work is complete. Discussions with leading commercial insurers indicate that they are broadly comfortable with the proposals and that there is an appetite to insure home inspectors.

Housing Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government intend to establish a national database of the information contained in the seller's pack provided for in the Housing Bill; and whether the packs will have to be available in electronic form to purchasers.

Keith Hill: There will not be a national database of the information contained in home information packs. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is proposing to make provision in the Housing Bill for a register of home condition reports. Our intention is that the register will comprise an electronic databank of all home condition reports prepared by registered home inspectors. In order to respect privacy, and data-protection legislation, access to information obtained from the register would be strictly controlled. Home information packs may be in an electronic format but potential buyers will be entitled to ask for a paper copy of the pack (or part of the pack) if they prefer.

Housing Renewal Pathfinders

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what compensation packages are offered to home owners whose homes are to be demolished in each of the nine Pathfinder areas of England; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Compensation and relocation packages are determined by the individual market renewal pathfinders and participating authorities. In the case of properties acquired by a Compulsory Purchase Order, the local authority is obliged to pay the open market value for the property. In addition, they are also obliged to cover all reasonable disturbance costs incurred by the individual who has to move house. A home loss payment to an owner-occupier is also made which is set at 10 per cent. of the value of the house purchased, subject to a minimum of £3,400 and a maximum of £34,000. Tenants can claim a flat-rate home loss payment of £3,400 in addition to any disturbance costs payable.

Housing Renewal Pathfinders

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many press officers are employed by each of the Housing Renewal Pathfinders in England.

Keith Hill: Staffing matters are for each individual pathfinder to decide to best meet their needs. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware that all but two of the pathfinders currently employ one Communications Officer each, for whom dealing with the press is part of their duties. Local authorities provide media support for the two pathfinders not employing press officers directly (Manchester Salford and Hull and East Riding).

Inter-departmental Co-operation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made towards working with other Government Departments to raise the levels of (a) social inclusion, (b) neighbourhood renewal and (c) regional prosperity.

Phil Hope: The Government strongly believe that the issues of social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal, and local and regional prosperity are tightly interlinked. A partnership approach—not only across Government Departments but also more widely with local and regional service providers and policy makers—are essential to tackle the difficult issues underlying deprivation and social exclusion. Both the Social Exclusion Unit and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit work closely with all Government Departments, and this work has already produced tangible results:
	on crime, where the average burglary rate in the 88 most deprived local authority areas has seen significant falls;
	on education, where the average pass rate gap (for five good GCSEs—grade A-C) between the 88 local authority areas and the English average continues to narrow at a faster rate;
	on worklessness, where the rise in employment rates has climbed faster in the 88 areas than it has nationally; and
	through investing in children to break the cycle of disadvantage, with the Government increasing financial support for children by £10 billion since 1997.
	The Government have also successfully strengthened the regional tier in order to draw together the policies, strategies and funding streams of many departments. The Government Offices for the Regions carry out work on behalf of 10 Government Departments, influence regional investment of around £9 billion and are involved in the delivery of 39 national Public Service Agreements. They play a key role in delivering the Government's policies for neighbourhood renewal, social inclusion and regional economic performance, using their programmes and influence to enable regions and localities to become better, more sustainable communities in which to live and work.

Local Authorities (Debt Collection)

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice his Department has given to local authorities pursuing outstanding debts of (a) less than £3,000 and (b) more than £3,000.

Nick Raynsford: No general guidance has been issued to local authorities by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the pursuit of outstanding debts. Authorities are required by section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 to make arrangements for the proper administration of their financial affairs, and policies and procedures for pursuing debts would properly form part of those arrangements.
	The Non-Domestic Rating Contributions (England) Regulations require authorities to have made proper arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in relation to the collection of non-domestic rates if they are to be permitted to make deductions for bad or doubtful debts from the payments they make into the national pool. Advice on this requirement was issued to local authority chief finance officers on 5 May 1993. This advice is in general terms, and makes no distinction between amounts under and over £3,000.

Local Authority Debt

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the combined local authority debt (a) is and (b) was in 1997; and what the average rate of interest paid on that debt is.

Nick Raynsford: The information is as follows:
	(a) At 31 March 2004 the total outstanding debt of local authorities in England was £37,659 million.
	(b) At 31 March 1997 the total outstanding debt of local authorities in England was £37,934 million.
	The average rate of interest paid on total outstanding debt is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Source:
	ODPM monthly and quarterly borrowing returns, Public Works Loan Board.
	Long-term borrowing to finance capital expenditure was regulated through the issue of credit approvals up until 31 March 2004 and, as from 1 April 2004, is subject to the Prudential System.

Local Government (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the funding of local government in Coventry South.

Nick Raynsford: I will make a statement on the formula grant allocations for 2005–06 in due course.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total cost of holding the referendum on an elected regional assembly in the North East.

Nick Raynsford: The cost for the North East will be approximately £2.9 million—an average cost of £1.50 per elector. This covers the cost incurred by counting officers such as printing the ballot papers and conducting the count. The maximum amounts payable to a counting officer for a Regional Referendum were set out in The Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Counting Officers' Charges) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004 No. 2105), which was approved by Parliament on 22 July 2004.
	The lead Yes/No campaign organisations—appointed by the Electoral Commission—have each received a grant of £100,000 from the Commission. They will also be entitled to a free mailing and free TV broadcast(s). The delivery costs of the mailing are drawn from the Consolidated Fund. The total cost of the mailing will not be known until the Royal Mail has submitted its accounts.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost has been of (a) visits made and (b) meetings hosted by Ministers in his Department relating to elected regional assemblies since May 2002.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister laid out the estimated costs of the launch of the information campaign in the answers to the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 150W and 23 April 2004, Official Report, column 694W; and in the answers to the hon. Member on 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1687W; 21 May 2004, Official Report, column 1285W and 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 212W.
	The current estimate of costs for all visits and meetings since November 2003 is £184,143.
	Before the 'Your Say' campaign was launched in November 2003, costs for activities carried out were not recorded centrally.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of producing and publishing (a) the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", Cm 5511 and (b) the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill, Cm 6285.

Nick Raynsford: The cost of producing and publishing the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice, Revitalising the English Regions", May 2002 (Cm. 5511) was approximately £64,000.
	The cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of producing and publishing the Regional Assemblies Draft Bill, July 2004 (Cm 6285) was approximately £20,500. This figure does not include the costs of production to TSO (The Stationery Office) Ltd., which are commercial in confidence.

Vanessa Arscott

Anthony Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he had at his recent meeting with the Thai Prime Minister on the death of Ms Vanessa Arscott of Ashburton.

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister raised the murders of Vanessa Arscott and her partner Adam Lloyd when he met Prime Minister Thaksin on 8 October, and thanked the Thai authorities for their work in arresting the suspect.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Transponders

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what exemptions he will be introducing to the mandatory installation of Mode S transponders in aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: Legislation to require the carriage of Mode S transponders in aircraft will be introduced in two phases. The first of these will take effect from 31 March 2005 and will apply only to aircraft with a take off mass of more than 5,700kgs and a maximum cruising true airspeed of more than 250 knots that fly under Instrument Flight Rules. This does not include the majority of General Aviation aircraft. Exemptions to the carriage requirements are permitted for certain technical reasons and for those aircraft that infrequently operate under Instrument Flight Rules. The full details of the exemption criteria are available on the Eurocontrol website www.eurocontrol.int/mode s.
	The second phase of Mode S introduction is expected to take effect on 31 March 2008. The details of the widened mandate and the associated exemption policy have not yet been decided. The Civil Aviation Authority will conduct a wide-ranging consultation on these issues commencing next year.

Air Navigation Services

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to charge aircraft flying under visual flight rules for aircraft navigation services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to provide non-commercial air traffic with air navigation services without charge; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to impose Eurocontrol charges on aircraft with maximum take off weight below 2,000 kilograms; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to impose Eurocontrol charges on (a) gliders, (b) microlight aircraft, (c) hangliders, (d) paragliders and (e) balloons; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what plans he has to charge for air navigation services in airspace classified as (a) E, (b) F and (c) G; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The Single European Sky (SES) Regulations, which came into force on the 20 April 2004, require the development of a transparent common charging scheme for the recovery of the costs of air navigation services provided by the member states. One of the underlying principles of the charging scheme is that air navigation service costs should be recovered according to the 'user pays' principle, that is airspace users should pay for the services they use.
	The current draft of the European Commission's Implementing Rules on charging provides for member states to exempt certain categories of airspace users from the charges scheme. The costs for such an exemption would have to met by the state. The text has not been finalised so it impossible to make any decision on whether or not to grant exemptions.

Aviation (Emissions)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure air flights carrying only freight reflect to a greater degree in their costs the environmental impact of such flights, with particular reference to climate change.

Charlotte Atkins: The Future of Air Transport White Paper recognises the importance of ensuring that, over time, aviation meets its external costs, including its environmental costs. Specific proposals to address the climate change impacts of aviation are set out in the White Paper (paras 3.353.43).

Birmingham Airport

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the proposals for compensation to near neighbours of the suggested second runway at Birmingham International Airport; what the (a) noise and (b) physical distance parameters will be; what the personal circumstances of qualifying claimants will be; and if he will bring forward a compensation scheme funded by central Government.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Air travel is essential to the UK economy and we have set out in The Future of Air Transport White Paper (Cm 6046, December 2003) a balanced strategy that will deliver sustainable development of air transport. The Government's approach to the control and mitigation of aircraft noise impacts, which includes compensation, is set out in chapters 3 and 12. This makes it clear that it is for airport operators to develop schemes to tackle generalised blight. Birmingham International Airport (BIA) has developed a voluntary generalised blight scheme and is presently consulting on its terms. The consultation closes on 30 November.

Correspondence

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he responded to the communication from the Chief Executive of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association UK, dated 22 September; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: Martin Robinson wrote to a Department for Transport official on 22 September 2004. Department for Transport officials met with him on 5 October to discuss the issues raised by his letter and responded to the communication on 13 October 2004.

Cycling

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what progress against national targets has been made by local authorities on increasing cycling;
	(2)  whether he has evaluated the work of the English Regions Cycling Development Team; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how his Department will (a) assist and (b) assess progress after May 2005 of local authorities in (i) developing cycling, (ii) setting local targets for cycling and (iii) preparing the cycling element of local transport plans.

Charlotte Atkins: The number of cycling trips per person per year has remained broadly similar at a national level since 1996.
	The Department for Transport is currently engaged in a review of the effectiveness of the National Cycling Strategy. This includes the work of the English Regions Cycling Development Team, which has been provided by AEA Technology under a contract that expires in May 2005. The Team carried out an important assessment of local highway authorities provision for cycling which has considerably improved our knowledge base. Its advice has also improved local and national practice. The Department is now looking for a more flexible resource than a single team to support the development of cycling and the contract will not therefore be renewed or extended.
	Local authorities' provision for cycling will remain a key part of the second Local Transport Plans, which will be submitted to my Department in July 2005. Officials will be involved in the development of all aspects of those Plans and the advice of the English Regions Cycling Development Team will be sought on the elements related to cycling, including targets. Progress under the Plans will be measured through the established system of annual progress reporting.

East Coast Main Line

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much has been invested in East Coast Main Line infrastructure in each year since 1990;
	(2)  how much has been invested in railway infrastructure in Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 1990.

Tony McNulty: These are operational matters for Network Rail. The company will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

GNER

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers GNER has carried in each year since its franchise began.

Tony McNulty: The number of annual passenger journeys is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Passenger journeys (million) 
		
		
			 199697 11.9 
			 199798 13.7 
			 199899 13.9 
			 19992000 15.9 
			 200001 13.6 
			 200102 14.5 
			 200203 14.6 
			 200304 15.8

GNER

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains per weekday on average GNER has run out of York in each year since its franchise began.

Tony McNulty: The information is not readily available in the form requested. However, in the summer 1996 timetable there were 29 northbound services and 28 southbound services out of York on weekdays. In the current timetable there are 32 northbound and 32 southbound services out of York on weekdays.

Hastings and Bexhill Link Road

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a decision on the construction of the Hastings and Bexhill link road.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 25 October 2004
	East Sussex county council have submitted a bid for this major local transport scheme. We expect to announce our decision for this and other major scheme bids as part of the annual local transport capital settlement later this year.

Integrated Kent Franchise

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent to date on the Integrated Kent Franchise.

Tony McNulty: Expenditure of approximately 2.2 million has been incurred to date on the tendering of the IKF and the total cost is expected to be 3.85 million.

Mobile Telephones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department was created in May 2002. Since that date the number of mobile phones used by Ministers and special advisers was as follows:
	
		
			  Mobile phones used by: 
			  Ministers Special advisors 
		
		
			 2002 3 2 
			 2003 4 2 
			 2004 4 2 
		
	
	There is no central record of mobile phones and information about their usage by Officials could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rail Network

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement regarding improvements to the rail network since Network Rail assumed responsibility.

Tony McNulty: Network Rail has made significant progress in putting right the failings of its predecessor, Railtrack, since taking over the rail infrastructure in October 2002.
	Achievements include:
	one million fewer delay minutes in 200304 and over half a million further reduction in first half of 200405;
	the public performance measure of total industry performance (moving annual average) has improved from 78.7 per cent. (September 2002) to 81.8 per cent. (September 2004);
	2,672 miles of new rail installed since October 2002replacing 13.5 per cent. of the entire network;
	broken rails at all time low of 334 in 200304 compared with 444 in previous year25 per cent. reduction;
	train protection and warning system installed throughout Great Britain, on time and budget;
	Stage 1 of West Coast upgrade completed125 mph railway to Manchester; integrated control centres operational at three locations;
	16,000 maintenance workers seamlessly taken in-house as a unified national rail maintenance operation is created.

Strategic Rail Authority

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost has been to the Strategic Rail Authority of transferring the South Eastern Trains franchise from Connex.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) engaged external advisers on the transfer at a total cost of 2.757 million. All but approximately 150,000 of this cost was recovered from Connex as part of the negotiations of the termination. The costs of internal SRA staff effort on the transfer are not separately identifiable but were contained within the SRA's then existing total staff complement and budget.

Strategic Rail Authority

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether all functions of the Strategic Rail Authority are due to transfer to the Department of Transport under the proposals outlined in The Future of Rail White Paper.

Tony McNulty: The Rail White Paper, The Future of Rail, proposes the abolition of the Strategic Rail Authority. The strategic and financial responsibilities of the SRA will pass to the Department for Transport. Implementing this will require primary legislation and we will introduce a Bill as soon as parliamentary time permits. Activities related to the operation of the railway will pass to Network Rail and consumer protection licensing conditions will pass to the Office of Rail Regulation. Further, additional responsibilities, for rail will be devolved to the Scottish Executive and the Welsh National Assembly.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) on 15 September 2004, Official Report, column 1570W, which covered the Central Department and Agencies.
	There were no frauds reported in the NDPBs for 200203. In 200304, only one NDPB reported fraud. This involved two involving fraudulent use of a stolen credit card. The value of these cases amounted to 14,270 and 3,865 respectively. Both were reported in the Treasury Fraud return for 200304.

CABINET OFFICE

Communication Equipment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average spending on communication equipment for each Minister was in the Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The average spend on communications equipment for each Minister and their Private Office in the Department during 200304 was 5,700.

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

Ruth Kelly: The Cabinet Office spent 13.9 million on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of antisocial behaviour have been reported to the police in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: There are currently no data on the number of incidents of antisocial behaviour (ASB) due to the subjective nature of ASB itself. The latest data collected on ASB relate to the public perception of ASB in England and Wales and are measured by the British Crime Survey.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions for antisocial behaviour there have been in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) Tyne and Wear and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available.
	Information on arrests collected centrally is based on persons arrested for notifiable offences by main offence group and police force area only and therefore does not identify individual offences.
	Information on convictions is available by offence, of which some may have involved antisocial behaviour. Such circumstances are not identified by the Home Office Court Proceedings database.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been taken out in each constituency in (a) England and Wales, (b) South Tyneside and (c) Tyne and Wear since the scheme's inception.

Hazel Blears: Information on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at constituency level is not collected centrally. The table (which has been placed in the Library) shows the number of ASBOs issued, as notified to the Home Office by all courts, and where restrictions have been imposed for a specific local authority area.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest figure is for the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued.

Hazel Blears: The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued, as notified to the Home Office by all courts, up to 31 March 2004 (latest available) is 2,455.

Breath Tests

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department 
	(1)  how many breath tests were carried out by police officers in each year since 1997 (a) in total and (b) broken down by police authority; and what proportion were found to be positive in each case;
	(2)  how many breath tests were conducted on male drivers aged between (a) 17 and 20 years and (b) 20 and 29 years in each year since 1999; how many of these tested positive; and how many were convicted of driving when under the influence of alcohol.

Hazel Blears: The table shows the number of screening breath tests and the proportion that tested positive or were refused by police force area from 1997 to 2002 (latest available). 2003 data will be available in early 2005.
	Data are not collected centrally on the number of screening breath tests by sex or age of the driver.
	
		Screening breath tests and proportion positive or refused by police force area, 19972002 -- Number and percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 
			 Police force area Total tests Percentage positive/refused Total tests Percentage positive/refused Total tests Percentage positive/refused 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 16,000 21 19,700 15 19,200 17 
			 Bedfordshire 6,000 19 5,300 16 2,900 27 
			 Cambridgeshire 19,100 7 17,800 7 13,600 8 
			 Cheshire 25,500 7 23,300 7 20,500 8 
			 Cleveland 31,600 3 34,200 3 28,600 3 
			 Cumbria 11,200 8 9,400 8 7,100 8 
			 Derbyshire 34,500 5 35,700 5 49,200 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,200 11 15,700 14 14,700 18 
			 Dorset 9,100 15 10,100 15 9,200 14 
			 Durham 4,300 29 7,400 17 12,700 7 
			 Essex 28,700 6 28,400 10 24,100 11 
			 Gloucestershire 9,400 17 9,300 14 8,300 16 
			 Greater Manchester 35,500 21 31,200 21 21,500 22 
			 Hampshire 25,000 14 27,300 14 31,600 12 
			 Hertfordshire 7,400 25 8,100 24 7,000 27 
			 Humberside 6,500 17 8,300 18 8,100 15 
			 Kent 9,100 15 27,500 11 32,700 11 
			 Lancashire 21,300 13 20,300 9 19,100 10 
			 Leicestershire 10,200 22 20,200 11 21,100 9 
			 Lincolnshire 20,200 4 25,900 4 21,000 4 
			 London, City of 3,600 16 3,300 14 1,700 17 
			 Merseyside 14,800 17 18,700 13 18,600 12 
			 Metropolitan police 137,900 13 111,400 13 99,800 11 
			 Norfolk 9,200 11 12,400 7 11,600 7 
			 Northamptonshire 7,100 21 4,700 26 5,300 23 
			 Northumbria 11,900 30 12,200 27 12,500 28 
			 North Yorkshire 10,500 16 9,900 15 8,100 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 11,500 25 8,900 27 8,400 29 
			 South Yorkshire 14,200 14 12,600 13 16,100 12 
			 Staffordshire 13,800 11 15,400 14 10,100 18 
			 Suffolk 12,300 9 15,600 8 15,100 7 
			 Surrey 11,200 13 11,400 11 11,700 14 
			 Sussex 26,100 10 17,400 11 17,900 11 
			 Thames Valley 33,100 17 34,200 15 30,300 16 
			 Warwickshire 8,700 12 8,700 10 8,600 12 
			 West Mercia 18,300 10 19,100 8 12,300 13 
			 West Midlands 22,600 14 24,100 25 21,300 23 
			 West Yorkshire 23,300 19 22,900 20 18,800 21 
			 Wiltshire 7,400 17 7,100 15 6,800 15 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,500 9 9,200 12 9,900 10 
			 Gwent 12,200 10 11,200 10 10,600 10 
			 North Wales 13,300 12 15,200 10 15,900 10 
			 South Wales 23,100 11 24,900 13 20,700 13 
			 Total 800,300 13 815,500 13 764,500 12 
		
	
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
			 Police force area Total tests Percentage positive/refused Total tests Percentage positive/refused Total tests Percentage positive/refused 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 15,800 19 15,400 19 15,100 20 
			 Bedfordshire 3,300 22 4,200 17 6,200 14 
			 Cambridgeshire 12,800 9 12,700 9 13,000 10 
			 Cheshire 15,800 16 13,600 19 12,200 20 
			 Cleveland 18,800 4 14,100 6 11,000 7 
			 Cumbria 6,100 10 5,100 15 4,700 11 
			 Derbyshire 52,000 3 42,100 4 37,900 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13,000 20 13,500 21 12,600 23 
			 Dorset 12,300 11 10,400 15 10,400 15 
			 Durham 15,300 7 16,300 7 9,500 12 
			 Essex 27,200 9 18,900 14 16,100 17 
			 Gloucestershire 8,200 17 9,600 15 9,300 16 
			 Greater Manchester 27,300 31 23,900 32 23,200 32 
			 Hampshire 35,200 10 35,200 11 35,200 11 
			 Hertfordshire 6,000 33 5,500 38 4,300 47 
			 Humberside 9,400 13 7,500 15 8,700 14 
			 Kent 32,200 9 32,200 10 34,200 9 
			 Lancashire 15,500 10 10,000 25 10,600 14 
			 Leicestershire 18,600 11 14,900 14 14,500 16 
			 Lincolnshire 12,100 6 13,600 5 9,000 9 
			 London, City of 1,100 23 1,100 26 1,400 20 
			 Merseyside 12,800 17 7,200 30 7,000 33 
			 Metropolitan Police 93,800 10 65,100 19 57,200 24 
			 Norfolk 9,100 8 9,100 13 5,300 18 
			 Northamptonshire 5,800 25 4,500 31 3,300 39 
			 Northumbria 12,700 27 12,400 27 11,800 26 
			 North Yorkshire 6,700 17 7,400 15 7,300 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,400 28 7,700 30 5,800 37 
			 South Yorkshire 19,200 11 18,000 11 14,400 14 
			 Staffordshire 7,700 16 4,700 35 5,300 34 
			 Suffolk 9,200 9 8,600 11 8,900 12 
			 Surrey 12,400 13 13,300 11 7,500 24 
			 Sussex 20,800 9 21,800 10 17,300 10 
			 Thames Valley 30,800 17 26,200 18 25,300 30 
			 Warwickshire 7,100 13 5,800 16 5,100 18 
			 West Mercia 8,900 25 9,100 25 8,200 27 
			 West Midlands 16,200 24 12,200 38 10,500 48 
			 West Yorkshire 18,300 23 17,200 23 16,700 27 
			 Wiltshire 6,500 15 5,900 19 5,900 19 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7,400 11 7,000 13 7,300 14 
			 Gwent 10,100 10 6,400 19 3,800 30 
			 North Wales 15,000 11 15,100 9 19,600 8 
			 South Wales 17,800 15 19,300 16 17,500 17 
			 Total 714,800 13 623,900 16 570,200 18

Civil Service (Job Losses)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which services within his Department will be (a) affected by and (b) subject to job losses consequent on the cuts in the Civil Service announced in the Spending Review.

Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Boateng) on 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1659W.
	Full details of the workforce changes announced in the Spending Review are being worked through, and we are consulting all stakeholders including unions and staff.
	Departments will come forward in due course with details of workforce changes once plans are finalised.

Community Support Officers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Community Support Officers have been recruited from ethnic backgrounds.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 13/04, Police Service Strength in England and Wales 31 March 2004, published in September 2004, states that 591 Community Support Officers (CSOs) are from minority ethnic backgrounds. This figure represents about 17 per cent. of the total number of CSOs.

Community Support Officers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers have been allocated to community support officers.

Hazel Blears: Community Support Officers (CSOs) may be designated by Chief Officers with any of the following powers:
	Power to request a name and address for Fixed Penalty Offences and Offences that cause injury alarm and distress to another person or damage or loss of another's property;
	Power to Request the name and address of a person acting in an antisocial manner; Power to request a person to stop drinking in a designated public area and to surrender open containers of alcohol;
	Power to confiscate alcohol from Young Persons;
	Power to confiscate cigarettes and tobacco products from young people;
	Power of entry to save life or limb, or to prevent serious damage to property;
	Power to seize vehicles used to cause alarm and distress;
	Power to require the removal of abandoned vehicles;
	Power to stop vehicles for the purpose of a road check;
	Power to maintain and enforce a cordoned area established under Terrorism Act;
	Power to stop and search vehicles and things carried by driver/passengers under Terrorism Act and things carried by pedestrians;
	Power to regulate traffic for the purpose of escorting abnormal loads;
	Power to stop a vehicle for testing;
	Power to disperse groups in designated areas;
	Issue of Fixed Penalty Notices under Chapter 1 Part 1 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, Part 1 of Schedule 4 of the Police Reform Act 2002 and Penalty Notices for disorder for certain offences specified under the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003.
	In the following forces (Devon and Cornwall, Gwent, Lancashire, the Metropolitan police, Northamptonshire and West Yorkshire) CSOs may also be designated with the following powers:
	Power to detain a person for up to 30 minutes pending the arrival of a constable (or to accompany that person to a police station with the person's agreement);
	Power to use reasonable force to detain a person or prevent him from making off;
	Only available to six trial forces.

Community Support Officers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Community Support Officers have been recruited from each London borough.

Hazel Blears: Information is not held on the boroughs from which Community Support officers are recruited.
	The following table shows the number of Community Support Officers posted to each London borough as at the end of September:
	
		
			  Borough CSO number (Full-time equivalent) 
		
		
			 Kensington and Chelsea 55 
			 Westminster 217 
			 Camden 43 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 23 
			 Hackney 35 
			 Tower Hamlets 56 
			 Waltham Forest 27 
			 Redbridge 28 
			 Havering 34 
			 Newham 52 
			 Barking and Dagenham 22 
			 Lambeth 61 
			 Southwark 31 
			 Islington 23 
			 Lewisham 32 
			 Bromley 38 
			 Harrow 24 
			 Brent 28 
			 Greenwich 32 
			 Bexley 29 
			 Barnet 37 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 28 
			 Staines 32 
			 Kingston upon Thames 22 
			 Merton 21 
			 Wandsworth 28 
			 Haling 36 
			 Hillingdon 45 
			 Enfield 24 
			 Haringey 32 
			 Croydon 39 
			 Sutton 21 
			 Transport command unit 458 
			 Royal parks 46 
			 Airports 51

Community Support Officers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recruitment requirements are for Community Support Officers.

Hazel Blears: Section 38(4) of the Police Reform Act 2002 states that the chief officer of the employing force needs to be satisfied that a person designated as a Community Support Officer is suitable and capable of effectively carrying out their duties and has received adequate training to carry out the duties conferred by the designation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms J. Lloyd;
	(2)  when he will answer the letter to him dated 6 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms J. Lloyd.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 October 2004.

Departmental Press Officers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers were employed by the Department in (a) 199697 and (b) 200304; and at what cost.

Fiona Mactaggart: Press officers within the Home Office are employed at the Information Officer (IO) and Senior Information Officer (SIO) grades. The costs for the years requested are in the table:
	
		
			 Financial Year Press Officers Cost () 
		
		
			 199697 16 369,000 
			 200304 39 1,900,000 
		
	
	Expansion of the Home Office press office followed an external consultant's review of its staffing and operation in 1999 and recommended the creation of the Newsdesk to meet the demands of the media. This improved efficiency from 'losing' in excess of 20 per cent. of the calls pre expansion, to a position where from June 2003 to June 2004 91.8 per cent. of the 67,070 press calls received by the Newsdesk were answered. The Home Office press office and the prison service press office merged in May 2001.
	The 1.9 million cost for 200304 on press officers is 0.094 per cent. of the overall Home Office salary bill (2,016,593,000)
	Home Office departmental report 200304.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers were attended by the Department's Green Minister in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 20 October 2004
	I am the Home Office Green Minister and a member of ENV(G). It has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Impaired Drivers

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department how many convictions for drink-driving resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997 (a) in total and (b) broken down by police authority.

Hazel Blears: Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on convictions and custodial sentences for drink-driving offences by police force area 1997 to 2002 is given in the table. Data for 2003 will be available early in 2005.
	
		Findings of guilt and immediate custodial sentences at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs by police force area, 19972002 -- Number of offences
		
			  1997 1998 1999 
			 Police force area Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2,812 163 2,566 157 2,728 165 
			 Bedfordshire 1,146 119 1,060 96 869 87 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,092 56 1,060 62 941 43 
			 Cheshire 1,969 97 1,903 119 1,827 133 
			 Cleveland 926 61 870 63 811 57 
			 Cumbria 931 49 856 51 871 37 
			 Derbyshire 1,612 147 1,547 202 1,463 181 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,342 91 2,265 127 2,277 112 
			 Dorset 1,214 93 1,186 88 1,120 96 
			 Durham 1,044 66 1,035 53 1,137 81 
			 Essex 2,736 228 2,438 233 2,528 261 
			 Gloucestershire 1,067 48 985 36 889 51 
			 Greater Manchester 4,806 440 4,715 453 4,850 464 
			 Hampshire 3,774 243 3,597 231 3,725 213 
			 Hertfordshire 1,670 90 1,672 91 1,679 90 
			 Humberside 1,274 76 1,358 87 1,323 97 
			 Kent 2,321 97 2,627 155 2,633 133 
			 Lancashire 3,389 224 2,945 178 3,010 184 
			 Leicestershire 1,648 183 1,485 140 1,624 188 
			 Lincolnshire 1,088 47 979 36 941 44 
			 London, City of 436 8 301 9 236 5 
			 Merseyside 2,719 304 2,451 326 2,137 296 
			 Met. police 16,165 1,270 13,889 1,050 12,414 838 
			 Norfolk 1,116 49 1,118 43 1,010 64 
			 Northamptonshire 1,107 109 1,062 73 1,058 91 
			 Northumbria 2,625 184 2,457 194 2,463 229 
			 North Yorkshire 1,365 77 1,205 77 1,124 60 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,031 255 1,804 247 1,802 262 
			 South Yorkshire 2,296 204 2,002 178 1,927 149 
			 Staffordshire(5) 2,036 132 1,955 140 1,711 143 
			 Suffolk 1,050 53 1,042 60 1,089 71 
			 Surrey 1,380 64 1,328 58 1,417 47 
			 Sussex 2,373 110 2,113 113 2,224 120 
			 Thames Valley 4,070 215 3,896 195 3,725 216 
			 Warwickshire 837 44 784 53 856 38 
			 West Mercia 1,947 87 1,794 97 1,747 114 
			 West Midlands 6,351 598 5,582 532 4,775 532 
			 West Yorkshire 3,953 394 3,669 329 3,597 358 
			 Wiltshire 1,043 27 1,108 39 1,009 45 
			 England 93,761 6,802 86,709 6,471 83,567 6,395 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 1,029 44 995 38 944 48 
			 Gwent 1,166 61 1,203 84 1,079 78 
			 North Wales 1,354 96 1,306 95 1,248 94 
			 South Wales 2,892 257 2,903 239 2,526 282 
			 Wales 6,441 458 6,407 456 5,797 502 
			
			 England and Wales 100,202 7,260 93,116 6,927 89,364 6,897 
		
	
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
			 Police force area Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) Findings of guilt Immediate custody(4) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2,462 152 2,197 129 2,401 124 
			 Bedfordshire 797 89 914 79 955 82 
			 Cambridgeshire 793 41 813 51 852 41 
			 Cheshire 1,652 122 1,529 96 1,993 103 
			 Cleveland 777 56 887 77 921 71 
			 Cumbria 806 50 761 51 768 37 
			 Derbyshire 1,417 126 1,411 140 1,465 164 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,199 104 2,369 128 2,441 95 
			 Dorset 1,115 84 1,150 91 1,199 83 
			 Durham 1,124 76 1,097 86 1,136 68 
			 Essex 2,462 237 2,456 264 2,522 267 
			 Gloucestershire 804 37 865 39 926 44 
			 Greater Manchester 4,801 428 4,715 454 4,720 474 
			 Hampshire 3,472 244 3,464 235 3,846 243 
			 Hertfordshire 1,552 98 1,666 94 1,894 90 
			 Humberside 1,371 128 1,259 126 1,395 113 
			 Kent 2,592 134 2,575 165 2,745 152 
			 Lancashire 2,584 163 2,304 148 2,599 159 
			 Leicestershire 1,531 152 1,546 140 1,659 140 
			 Lincolnshire 816 48 877 60 847 56 
			 London, City of 162 4 162 10 221 12 
			 Merseyside 2,128 286 2,195 217 2,293 216 
			 Met. Police 11,801 891 11,260 928 12,905 927 
			 Norfolk 935 45 1,143 75 1,220 55 
			 Northamptonshire 782 90 399 65 236 35 
			 Northumbria 2,621 215 2,529 217 2,588 188 
			 North Yorkshire 1,073 67 1,066 55 1,119 63 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,722 210 1,598 187 1,420 129 
			 South Yorkshire 2,122 170 2,020 159 1,945 165 
			 Staffordshire(5)   1,513 136 1,704 143 
			 Suffolk 902 74 920 43 1,105 79 
			 Surrey 1,539 61 1,592 65 1,614 68 
			 Sussex 2,112 136 2,358 128 2,306 149 
			 Thames Valley 3,496 212 3,275 210 4,317 219 
			 Warwickshire 786 42 880 33 841 40 
			 West Mercia 1,631 101 1,740 91 1,719 93 
			 West Midlands 4,559 451 4,914 471 5,050 438 
			 West Yorkshire 3,375 287 3,220 331 3,564 268 
			 Wiltshire 930 28 1,045 53 1,005 54 
			 England 79,671 6,076 78,684 6,127 84,456 5,947 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 858 45 867 36 927 47 
			 Gwent 1,211 99 1,152 76 1,074 74 
			 North Wales 1,332 92 1,227 87 1,270 71 
			 South Wales 2,757 255 2,812 295 2,761 236 
			 Wales 6,158 491 6,058 494 6,032 428 
			
			 England and Wales 85,829 6,567 84,742 6,621 90,488 6,375 
		
	
	'' Not available
	(4) Immediate custody includes sentences of secure training order, detention and training order, young offender institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
	(5) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Knives

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) household knives and (b) other types of knife were seized by the police in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.

Long Baton

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances it would constitute a disciplinary offence for a police officer to strike an individual on the head with a long baton.

Hazel Blears: The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004 set out, at Schedule 1, a Code of Conduct, the 12 principles of which guide police officers' conduct. Code 4 specifically states:
	Officers must never knowingly use more force than is reasonable, nor should they abuse their authority.
	Therefore, if an officer goes beyond what is considered reasonable in the circumstances, this would constitute a breach of the Code. It would be up to the chief officer of the Police Service concerned to deal with that breach under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004.

Neighbourhood Watch

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator positions are funded (a) wholly and (b) partially by local authorities.
	(2)  what proportion of Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator positions, or equivalent, are wholly or part-funded by (a) community safety partnerships, (b) crime reduction partnerships, (c) local authorities and (d) other funding sources.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 October 2004
	Local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators are primarily unpaid volunteers. Some are given training and are provided with office facilities in police stations. In addition, a proportion may also receive funding to cover other expenses or specific projects, but these are local arrangements for which information is not collected centrally.

Neighbourhood Watch

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to organisations seeking funding for a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 October 2004
	No specific guidance is given to organisations seeking funding for Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators, most of whom are unpaid volunteers.

Police Pay

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what salary police officers receive in (a) Havering and (b) Greater London on average.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not collect information on average police salaries. There are national scales for ranks below Chief Officer, with higher rates of pay for Inspectors in London.
	All officers in the Metropolitan Police Service also qualify for:
	London Weighting at 1,938 a year.
	London Allowanceat 4,338 a year if appointed on or after 1 September 1994 or 1,011 a year in other cases.
	Metropolitan Police Officers may also qualify for:
	Special Priority Payments of between which can be awarded to up to 40 per cent. of officers in posts identified by the force with the agreement of the police authority. Annual payments range from 500 to 3,000, and exceptionally up to 5,000;
	If they are at the maximum of their pay scale and are able to demonstrate high professional competence, Competence Related Threshold Payments of 1,032 per annum;
	A dog handler's allowance of 1,815 a year, where they care for a police dog at their home.
	The current pay scales for officers in the Metropolitan Police Service are:
	
		Constables and Sergeants -- 
		
			 Pay point With effect from 1 September 2004 
		
		
			 Constables  
			 On commencing service 19,803 
			 On completion of initial training 22,107 
			 2 23,388 
			 3 24,819 
			 4 25,599 
			 5 26,421 
			 6 27,174 
			 7 27,849 
			 8 28,740 
			 9 29,781 
			 10 30,477 
			 11 31,092 
			   
			 Sergeants  
			 0 31,092 
			 1 32,157 
			 2 33,237 
			 3 33,948 
			 4 34,944 
		
	
	
		Inspectors and Chief Inspectors: London salaries -- 
		
			 Pay point With effect from 1 September 2004 
		
		
			 Inspectors  
			 0 41,586 
			 1 42,711 
			 2 43,839 
			 3 44,970 
			   
			 Chief Inspectors  
			 1 45,852 
			 2 46,737 
			 3 47,664 
		
	
	
		Superintendent and Chief Superintendent -- 
		
			 Pay point Salary p.a. 
		
		
			 Superintendent  
			 1 53,046 
			 2 55,233 
			 3 57,420 
			 4 59,613 
			 5 61,800 
			   
			 Chief Superintendent  
			 1 63,345 
			 2 65,145 
			 3 66,951 
		
	
	
		Senior ranks
		
			   
		
		
			 Commissioner 221,451 
			 Deputy Commissioner 182,826 
			 Assistant Commissioner 154,500 
			 Deputy Assistant Commissioner 118,452 
		
	
	
		Commanders
		
			   
		
		
			 1 77,250 
			 2 79,827 
			 3 82,401 
			 4 84,975 
			 5 87,552 
			 6 90,126

Racial/Religious Attacks

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent attacks perpetrated against Sikhs have been recorded in each of the last five years; and in how many of these attacks race or religion was deemed to be a factor.

Hazel Blears: Information relating to the race or religion of victims of such offences is not available centrally. The information available centrally relates to offences which are racially or religiously aggravated and is given in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by the police in England and Wales 19992000 to 200102 1
		
			Period Racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding Racially or religiously aggravated common assault 
		
		
			 19992000 2,687 4,275 
			 200001 3,176 4,711 
			 200102 3,463 5,164 
		
	
	(6) The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by the police in England and Wales 200203 to 200304 1
		
			Period Racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding Racially or religiously aggravated common assault 
		
		
			 200203 4,352 4,491 
			 200304 4,840 4,017 
		
	
	(7) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

RAF Fairford

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department what the final costs of policing anti-war protests at RAF Fairford in 2003 were.

Hazel Blears: The Chief Constable informs me that the final costs of policing the anti-war protests at RAF Fairford were 7.723 million. The Home Office has provided a special grant of 7.29 million to Gloucestershire Constabulary to cover most of these costs.

Safer Neighbourhoods Programme

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the initial roll-out of the Metropolitan Police Service's Safer Neighbourhoods Programme.

Hazel Blears: An evaluation of the National Reassurance Policing Programme has been commissioned. This study will assess the impact of police activity on public feelings of safety and security, community engagement, confidence in, and satisfaction with, the police in 16 pilot sites around the country. Two of the sites, Bexley and Enfield, are also part of the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) area. The evaluation is based upon a repeat survey of residents in pilot and control areas during Winter 200304 and Winter 200405. The respondents were randomly sampled to render the findings more robust. The results should be available in autumn 2005.
	The MPS are conducting their own internal assessment of the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme for operational purposes. They are rolling out a public attitudes survey across the 96 wards involved in the programme. Residents in the first six wards were interviewed in April using a quota sample. A second quota sample of residents in the same six wards was taken in August.
	The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis reports that the introduction of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams is making a discernible impact across London. The feedback is extremely favourable: the public, the business sector and police partners are supportive of the programme. It is placing an increased uniform presence on the streets, increasing accessibility to policing services, galvanising community cohesion, impacting on crime, providing benefits to the wider community and providing the necessary familiarity to increase public confidence in the police service.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AIDS Epidemic

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the need for short-term emergency funding, in addition to funding in the medium and long-term, to combat the AIDS epidemic.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID agrees with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) assessment made in their 2004 global report, that:
	AIDS is an exceptional disease with exceptional and wide-ranging impact, which requires an exceptional response. It has the characteristics of both a short-term emergency and of a long-term development crisis.
	Taking Action, the UK's Strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world launched last July, takes account of both characteristics.
	For example, DFID will assist countries to develop both short-term 'emergency' solutions to address the current shortage of health and education personnel, and to take a longer-term view of human resource planning and management in the light of the impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
	It is important to develop long-term solutions. HIV and AIDS require long-term predictable funding, which is why the UK is proposing to increase aid through the International Finance Facility. DFID has committed 1.5 billion to AIDS over the next three years from 2005 to 2008.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 16 September, Official Report, column 1713W, on CDC/Actis Capital, if he will break down the amount owed to CDC by quarter since 1999.

Hilary Benn: Total debt owed to CDC at the end of each year from 1999 is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 1999 985.6 
			 2000 731.2 
			 2001 682.9 
			 2002 552.1 
			 2003 515.6 
		
	
	This information is not retained on a quarterly basis and the cost of disaggregating it would be disproportionate.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1709W, on CDC/Actis Capital, if he will list the (a) contractor, (b) subject studied, (c) cost and (d) date of each independent environmental study contracted by Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd. since 1999;
	(2)  if he will list audits of Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd.'s environmental management practices since 1999, broken down by auditor.

Hilary Benn: The studies and audits contracted and undertaken since 1999 are listed as follows.
	The costs of these contracts are commercially sensitive. They have generally been in the range US$10,000 to US$50,000, depending on the scope and terms of reference.
	
		
			 Contractor Date Scope 
		
		
			 1. Higaturu Oil Palm 
			 Mott MacDonald Ltd. June 2000 Doboduru grasslands development and status of QABB 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. August 2001 Comprehensive environmental audit 
			 SGS Australia July 2004; (undertaken since December 2002 and repeated annually) Surveillance audit of ISO14001 environmental management system 
			 ERM September 2004 Health impacts of Higaturu Oil Palm's performance 
			
			 2. Poliamba 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. 2001 Comprehensive environmental audit, including environmental action plan. 
			 SGS Australia July 2004 (undertaken since December 2002 and repeated annually) Surveillance audit of ISO14001 environmental management system 
			
			 3. Milne Bay Estates 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. February 1999 Padi-padi oil palm development: environmental plan 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. June 1999 Development of oil palm on leased customary blocks: environmental plan 
			 Mott MacDonald Ltd. June 2000 Oil palm expansion 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. August 2001 Comprehensive environmental audit 
			 SGS Australia July 2004 (undertaken since December 2002 and repeated annually) Surveillance audit of ISO14001 environmental management system 
			
			 4. Asiatic 
			 PT LTS Indonesia and Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty September 2000 Comprehensive environmental impact assessment 
			 PT LTS Indonesia and Zoological Society of London January 2001 Tiger survey 
			 Sumatran Rhino Project mid 2001 Rhino survey 
			 Jim Jarvie, Independent Consultant mid 2001 High conservation value forest review 
			 Mott MacDonald Ltd. June 2001 Peer review of PT LTS Indonesia's and Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd.'s Environmental Impact Assessments 
			 SGS Australia August 2004 (undertaken since February 2003 and repeated annually) Surveillance audit of ISO14001 environmental management system 
			
			 5. Harapan plantations 
			 PT LTS Indonesia and Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. September 2000 Comprehensive environmental impact assessment 
			 Mott MacDonald Ltd. June 2001 Peer review of PT LTS Indonesia's and Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd.'s Environmental Impact Assessments 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. May 2003 Comprehensive review of environmental and social performance, undertaken by way of due diligence on behalf of investor DEG 
			 Environmental Management and Monitoring Pty Ltd. July 2004 Pre-development environmental and social impact assessment 
			 SGS Australia August 2004 (undertaken since February 2003 and repeated at least annually) Surveillance audit of ISO14001 environmental management system

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who has performed external audits of environmental management at the (a) Higaturu Oil Palm, (b) Poliamba, (c) Milne Bay Estates, (d) Asiatic and (e) Harapan plantations since 1999; and whether such audits involved on-site monitoring.

Hilary Benn: Audits have been undertaken by LTS Indonesia, Environmental Management and Monitoring, Mott MacDonald Ltd., SGS Australia and local statutory bodies. Audits have generally involved onsite visits. Otherwise, onsite monitoring is part of the companies' internal environmental management systems which are audited at least every year by SGS Australia.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 16 September, Official Report, column 1709W, on CDC/Actis Capital, what assessment he has made of Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd.'s environmental assessment in its bi-annual investment valuation reviews.

Hilary Benn: DFID has made no assessment of Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd's environmental assessment. Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd. is required to comply with CDC's business principles and their environmental assessment is audited to the ISO 14001 standard.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 16 September, Official Report, column 1709W, on CDC/Actis Capital, if he will list the environmental matrix risk level of each (a) CDC/Aureos and (b) CDC/Actis Capital investment project.

Hilary Benn: CDC's Business Principles require Actis and Aureos to manage environmental risks, and the matrix system is a management tool used in this process. The risk levels of individual investments are commercially sensitive.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what CDC/Actis Capital investment there has been in Afghanistan Capital Partners; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: CDC has made no commitment to invest in Afghanistan Capital Partners.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the objectives of CDC/Actis Capital's partnership with Aviva plc.

Hilary Benn: CDC and Aviva are co-investors in a fund in China now managed by Actis. The fund contributes to poverty reduction by mobilising private capital and investing in viable Chinese businesses.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received about (a) compliance and (b) non-compliance with business principle standards by Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd.

Hilary Benn: I refer to my answer of 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1778W. The Department has received no specific representations about Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd.'s compliance or non-compliance with CDC's responsible business principles.

CDC Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the last environmental quality study was commissioned at (a) Higaturu Oil Palm, (b) Poliamba, (c) Milne Bay Estates, (d) Asiatic and (e) Harapan plantations.

Hilary Benn: Each of the plantations in the Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd. groupHigaturu Oil Palm, Poliamba, Milne Bay Estates, Asiatic and Harapanwas subject to an environmental audit in 2004.

Child Protection

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the Government's support for development of solar energy projects in Angola;
	(2)  what plans he has to increase support for development of solar energy projects in Angola.

Hilary Benn: The British Embassy in Luanda, in partnership with British Petroleum (BP), co-funded a pilot project to give the village of Paranhos communal lighting, power supply to the school and clinic, potable water and some domestic lighting. Paranhos was selected in part because it houses roughly equal numbers of families from both sides of Angola's civil war. The project, as well as demonstrating the viability of renewable energy, is also an important part of the process of national reintegration.
	This small pilot project and BP's interest in setting it up are welcome. I hope that BP and the Government of Angola are able to follow this up to ensure that the equipment continues to operate properly, providing a useful service to the selected village. No doubt, there are valuable lessons that can be learnt from this project, not least how best it might be replicated on a larger scale to provide permanent, reliable services.
	In general, while solar energy can deliver useful benefits, it does have limitations, notably its inability to provide heat for cooking, the main energy requirement for most households in Africa. Other issues, such as the need to periodically replace expensive batteries, were taken into account in the design of the Paranhos project. This experience and the lessons learnt from this pilot need to be properly understood before there is any consideration of expanding it to other communities.
	DFID is not providing support for renewable energy sources in Angola. However, more generally, DFID has funded some 75 energy projects since 1992 through our Knowledge and Research Programme (47 of which were started since May 1997) with a total value of 10 million, of which 3.6 million was spent on the development and promotion of renewable energy, especially for rural communities in developing countries. These have covered a wide range of technologies, including wind, small hydropower, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and biomass.
	DFID has recently signed a Programme Partnership Agreement with an international UK-based NGO, Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) for 750,000 per year. Much of their work is the promotion of small-scale renewable energy technologies in developing countries to improve access to energy services, especially for poor communities.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on financial and technical assistance and economic co-operation with developing countries in Asia and Latin America met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by the (A) EU and (B) UK as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek Presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period the Asia and Latin America Management Committee met twice on 27 February and on 3 April. All meetings were held in Brussels. Officials represented the UK from the Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Kingdom Representation in Brussels.
	The Asia and Latin America Management Committee operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for Member States to assist the Commission with implementation of Council Regulation No 443/92 of 25 February 1992. The EC's Asia and Latin America programme determines the strategy framework for technical assistance and economic co-operation with developing countries in Asia and Latin America, and approves annual and multi-annual allocations to country and regional programmes. The details of discussions in the Committee are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. This exemption covers internal discussion and advice where the disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. However, under Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the EC publishes an annual reports on the workings of the Committee.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on implementation of the programme of assistance to promote the transition to a market economy and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the partner states of eastern Europe and central Asia met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee made during the Greek presidency; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek Presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period, the Phare Management Committee met four times during the Greek Presidency: 7 February; 7 March; 11 April; 12 June. All meetings were held in Brussels and the UK was represented by officials from DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the United Kingdom Representation in Brussels (UKREP).
	The Phare Management Committee oversees the implementation of Council Regulation 1266/1999 of 21 June 1999. The Phare Management Committee is convened and constituted by Member States to assist the Commission with the implementation of the Community's Phare Programme. It operates independently of the Presidency. Phare is the programme of EC pre-accession Assistance to applicant countries. The programme has three objectives: to strengthen public administrations and institutions; to promote convergence with European Union legislation and to promote economic and social cohesion. The Committee determines the strategy framework for the Phare Programme, and approves annual and multi-annual allocations to country and regional programmes The detail of the discussions in the Committees are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. Under Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the EC is required to publish an annual report on the workings of the Committees.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the committees on (a) co-financing operations with European non-governmental organisations in fields of interest to the developing countries and (b) food security and food aid met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the committees produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek Presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period the NGO Co Financing Committee met twice on 21 January and on 3 June. The Food Aid and Food Security Management Committee met once on 28 February. All meetings were held in Brussels. The UK was represented in both Committees by officials from the Department for International Development (DFID).
	The Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) Co Financing Committee operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for Member States to assist the Commission with implementation of Council Regulation No 165898 of 17 July 1998. The European Community's (EC) NGO Co Financing programme considers co-financing operations with European NGOs development organisations in fields of interest to the developing countries.
	The Food Security and Food Aid Management Committee operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for Member States to assist the Commission with implementation of Council Regulation No 1292/96 of 27 June 1996. The EC's Food Security and Food Aid programme consists of identification, planning and implementation of food aid operations and operations in support of food security in developing countries.
	The detail of discussions in the Committees are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. This exemption covers internal discussion and advice where the disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. However, under Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the EC publishes annual reports on the workings of the Committees.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the (a) European Development Fund Committee and (b) Advisory Committee on the special system of assistance to traditional ACP suppliers of bananas met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the committees produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek Presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period the European Development Fund (EDF) Committee met twice on 12 February and on 7 May. The Advisory Committee on the special system of assistance to traditional ACP suppliers of bananas did not meet in this period. All meetings were held in Brussels. The UK was represented by officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) and from the UK's Permanent Representation in Brussels.
	The EDF Committee operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for member states to meet with the Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Its role is to scrutinise and approve financing proposals and allocation of EDF funds, serve as a forum for exchange of views on country and regional strategies and approve multi-annual allocations to country and regional programmes.
	Operations financed from the European Development Fund are governed by the provisions of the Partnership Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Community (ACP-EU) signed in Cotonou, Benin on 23 June 2000 (known as the Cotonou Agreement).
	Details of discussions in the Committee are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, and exemption 2. This exemption covers internal discussion and advice where the disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. However, the 15 December 2000 Internal Agreement applicable to the Cotonou Agreement specifies that the Commission produces an annual report. This report is subject to parliamentary scrutiny in the normal manner.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on implementation of humanitarian aid operations met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (A) the EU and (B) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek Presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period the Humanitarian Aid Committee met six times, on a monthly basis. Five meetings were held in Brussels, and one in Athens (May 2003). The UK was represented by officials from DFID's Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department.
	The Humanitarian Aid Committee operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for Member States to assist the Commission with implementation of Council Regulation No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. The EC's humanitarian aid programme provides assistance, relief and protection to victims of natural disasters and man-made crises in third countries, as well as preparedness for risks of natural disasters. It approves annual allocations ('global plans') to countries suffering chronic humanitarian crises, as well as emergency response to disasters.
	The details of discussions in the Committee are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. This exemption covers internal discussion and advice where the disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers were attended by the Department's Green Minister in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: None.

Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what input his Department had into the establishment of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International (HAP-I); what programmes his Department is funding to encourage membership of HAP-I by (a) UK and (b) EU non-governmental organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Between 2001 and 2003, DFID has contributed almost 650,000 towards the establishment of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International (HAP-I). DFID was also involved in the initial design of HAP-I through its steering committee membership of the related accountability initiative, Humanitarian Accountability Project. DFID is now an Associate member of HAP-I.
	Through accountable practice and example, DFID believes that confidence in and support for HAP-I's member agencies will be enhanced. This approach is consistent with HAP-I's own ethos of improving the quality, effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian work through example, as well as through programme design and implementation.

Illegal Logging

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is for dealing with illegal logging; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's policy is to tackle illegal logging and its associated trade, in partnership with timber-producing countries. This requires action on demand as well as supply. The UK, as a significant consumer of timber products, shares responsibility with these countries to find solutions to this global problem.
	DFID supports regional forest law enforcement and governance processes in Asia and Africa that help build awareness of the problems of illegal logging and the political commitment to tackle them. DFID has also recently started work with Russia on a forest law enforcement and governance process covering Eastern Europe and North Asia. In Indonesia DFID has a programme of work under a Memorandum of Understanding that commits both governments to tackle illegal logging and associated trade.
	The UK Government are playing an active role in implementing the EU Forest Law Enforcement and Governance and Trade Action Plan. This includes development of EU legislation to prevent imports of illegally logged timber into the single market and support for timber producing countries to improve their forest governance. UK Central Government are also working towards ensuring that timber and timber products are procured from legal and sustainable sources.
	In all of this work, DFID co-operates closely with other parts of Government, particularly Defra and FCO, as well as the private sector and NGOs.

International Development Assistance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the 20 countries with the lowest GDP per capita; how much the international development assistance per capita was made available by the UK in each case in the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The following table includes a list of the 20 countries with the lowest recorded GDP per capita (the country with the lowest GDP is at the top of the list). In addition DFID has included Afghanistan, which is expected to be in this group although GDP data is currently unavailable.
	The following table also shows the bilateral development assistance provided by the UK to these countries in 200304 (on a per capita basis) and an estimate of the UK's share of multilateral aid to these countries in 2002 (the latest year for which we have data).
	The UK has a commitment to increase the share of our bilateral programme going to low income countries to 90 per cent. by 200506. In deciding where to allocate bilateral resources the UK is keen to work in partnership with countries where we have long-standing relationships and is able to have the most impact. DFID also prioritise countries that are able to display evidence of good governance to ensure that our funds are spent appropriately.
	In examining the figures in the table, it is worth noting that while the aid per capita is quite small in some highly populated countries such as Nigeria, the total aid allocated to these countries is substantial.
	
		
		
			 Countries with lowest GDP per Capita UK bilateral aid/capita 200304 Imputed UK multilateral share/capita 2002 
		
		
			 Congo, Dem. Rep. 2.92 0.20 
			 Ethiopia 0.65 0.28 
			 Burundi 0.49 0.53 
			 Guinea-Bissau 0.00 2.00 
			 Malawi 5.25 0.53 
			 Eritrea 0.59 0.63 
			 Sierra Leone 6.89 0.86 
			 Liberia 2.41 0.43 
			 Niger 0.02 0.56 
			 Tanzania 4.64 0.31 
			 Madagascar 0.20 0.36 
			 Mozambique 2.05 0.90 
			 Nepal 1.33 0.10 
			 Chad 0.38 0.74 
			 Nigeria 0.25 0.04 
			 Tajikistan 0.11 0.22 
			 Burkina Faso 0.01 0.73 
			 Rwanda 3.37 0.59 
			 Central African Republic 0.00 0.25 
			 Kenya 0.93 0.11 
			
			 Afghanistan 3.02 0.59

Kenya

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the Department's priorities for working with the Government of Kenya.

Hilary Benn: DFID's assistance is designed to support long-term change in Kenya that will lead to improved governance, and to help Kenya make sustainable progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The Country Assistance Plan (CAP) launched in June, outlines our commitment to support the implementation of the Government of Kenya's Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS).
	DFID's priorities in the CAP include support to the Government's drive towards universal free primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, reproductive health care, malaria prevention, private sector development, land and agriculture reform, environmental governance, public sector reform, initiatives to promote civic education and improved access to justice for poor people. DFID plans to provide 37 million of assistance this year.
	The faster and more credible the pace of reform, the more DFID can support the Kenyan Government's own priorities through their own systems, and the faster progress we will make.

Latin America

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the aid budget for Latin America was in the years (a) 200001, (b) 200102, (c) 200203 and (d) 200304; and what it is for 200405.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's Latin America bilateral aid budget was as follows:
	
		Bilateral -- ( million)
		
			   Latin America dept budget allocation Total 1 DFID Actual expenditure in Latin America 
		
		
			 200001 31.0 31.2 
			 200102 36.0 37.6 
			 200203 28.3 36.1 
			 200304 23.2 27.2 
			 200405 19.0  
		
	
	(8) These figures include central DFID funding, such as humanitarian assistance, debt relief and NGO activities supported by the Civil Society Challenge Fund, which have benefited the region. 7 million per year, from 200506 onwards, was recently approved for selected non-government organisations that have Programme Partnership Agreements with DFID.
	Share of Multilateral
	DFID provided the following concessional funding through multilateral to specific countries (ie World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Community and UN organisations):
	
		 million
		
			  Latin America specific Americas regional (including Caribbean) 
		
		
			 2000 51.4 12.2 
			 2001 92.0 9.0 
			 2002 36.0 5.5 
		
	
	Figures are not yet available for 2003.

Relief Work (SPHERE Standards)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the SPHERE standards for relief work; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not undertaken its own assessment of SPHERE standards. However, DFID values the work of SPHERE, with its aim of improving the quality of assistance, and enhancing the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response. DFID has supported the project with 20,000 since 2001. Many partner that DFID supports or with whom we collaborate are signed up members to SPHERE, and we would expect them to adhere to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.

Somalia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with (i) the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (ii) members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (iii) the Secretary of State for Defence and (iv) members of the Ministry of Defence concerning (A) the humanitarian situation in Somalia and (B) Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusef's call for international intervention on 14 October; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID is in close and regular touch with relevant Whitehall Departmentsat both Ministerial and official levelto discuss UK and international support for the envisaged new Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. In addition the UK is committed to providing assistance to address the most urgent humanitarian needs in the country. DFID has recently agreed an additional 2 million in humanitarian allocations to meet urgent needs in Somalia.

Sugar

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his assessment is of the effects of the Common Agricultural Policy sugar regime on local sugar production in developing nations in (a) Africa and (b) Asia; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The EU's CAP regime for sugar is a heavily regulated, highly protected and discriminatory one. It is also extremely costly to the consumer and taxpayer. By maintaining high guaranteed prices for production which are well above world market prices, high tariffs on most imports, and heavily subsidising exports, the regime encourages over-production in the EU and dumps millions of tonnes of subsidised sugar onto world markets each year. It has the effect of depressing world prices, and it crowds developing countries out of local markets which they would otherwise be able to supply. Some traditional suppliers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions (ACP), do have preferential access to the EU market under an arrangement called the Sugar Protocol. Most of the countries in Africa and Asia who are sugar producers or potential sugar producers are currently denied preferential access to the EU market. For these and other reasons, reform of the regime is both necessary and desirable, and long overdue.
	The European Commission presented a Communication to the Agriculture Council on 19 July that set out their preferred approach to reform. The Communication proposes to substantially reduce sugar exports and export refunds, abolish intervention, restructure EU production at a lower level, reduce the internal sugar price and grant a de-coupled payment to sugar beet farmers. The reform process would start in July 2005. This should make the regime more market oriented and reduce the quantity of EU sugar exported to third markets. If the option were to be agreed, the Commission estimate that the combined, aggregate effect of the proposals on support price and quota reduction would be a significant reduction in the level of EU production under quota, from 17.3 million to 14.5 million tonnes per year. In turn, as a consequence of the substantial reduction in the overall level of EU production, EU subsidised sugar exportsdumpingare projected to fall by around 2 million tonnes. The Commission Communication will be the subject of discussion between the EU member states over the coming months.
	However, there will be winners and losers from this reform, just as there are winners and losers from the current regime. Those preferential suppliers to the EU who receive prices very similar to EU producers will see these prices fall. DFID has always stressed the need to take account of the impact that reform of the EU sugar regime will have on our developing country preferential suppliers. We are conscious that substantial reform will give rise to transitional problems for the ACP counties, and for Least Developed Countries (LDC) seeking to develop an export trade to Europe under the Everything But Arms initiative.
	In order to help inform the debate and ensure the impact on developing countries is taken sufficiently into consideration, DFID commissioned a study last year with LMC International and Oxford Policy Management, 'Addressing the Impact of Preference Erosion in Sugar on Developing Countries'. The study is divided into two sections. The first part assesses the economic and social impact on the ACP Sugar Protocol countries of the various reform scenarios suggested by the European Commission. The latter part of the study assesses alternative options for addressing the impact of preference erosion in sugar. The purpose of this analysis was to identify various options for debate by the ACP and the EU.
	DFID has recently commissioned two further pieces of work on this issue. The first report has been commissioned with LMC International, 'EU Sugar Reform: the Implications for the Development of LDCs' and should be finalised very soon. The second report has been commissioned from the Overseas Development Institute, 'Forthcoming changes in EU sugar/banana markets: a menu of options for an effective EU transitional assistance package' and should also be finalised very soon. This report should help those countries affected by reform determine their priorities for a transitional package. This report will include some analysis of alternative uses for sugar.

Uzbekistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary assistance the Uzbek Government receive from the United Kingdom Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Approximately 90 per cent. of United Kingdom development assistance to Uzbekistan has been in the form of DFID funded technical assistance, focusing on supporting the Government of Uzbekistan's efforts to improve the quality and accessibility of primary health care to the rural poor. Support has also been given to targeted local civil society organisations to help strengthen capacity, independence and effectiveness. In monetary terms this amounted to 559,000 in financial year 200304. The planned figure for 200405 is 500,000. Additionally, the UK's attributed share of multilateral assistance (including EC) to Uzbekistan in calendar year 2002 (the most recent year figures are available) was 1,700,000.
	Other UK Government Departments have provided support to civil society organisations and the British Council and through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool; the Home Office and FCO have funded a small amount of anti-drug training. The Ministry of Defence has been providing non-development assistance, through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, in the form of defence reform and helping build regional capacity for peace support operations.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Business Regulation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many reviews of the working and impact of major pieces of regulation affecting business put forward by (a) her Department and (b) regulatory agencies sponsored by her Department since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: There have been six reviews of the working and impact of major pieces of legislation. Review is an important element of the Government's Better Regulation programme.

Consultants

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Patricia Hewitt: This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list applications made for Export Credits Guarantee Department cover for ventures in Iraq since the end of the recent Gulf War; and which have (a) been accepted, (b) been rejected and (c) not yet been dealt with.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 21 October 2004
	An overall US$100 million ECGD short-term credit facility was available between 5 December 2003 and 28 June 2004, to assist exporters to finance contracts by providing guarantees to UK based banks issuing letters of credit for the purchase of UK goods and services.
	During this period, 15 exporters with contracts or potential contracts approached ECGD regarding the facility. No applications were received. The Banks continued to issue Letters of Credit without requiring ECGD cover.
	No formal applications for cover have been received outside of these dates.

Icelandic Water Trawlermen's Scheme

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many claimants have received payments from the Icelandic Water Trawlerman's Scheme (a) under the scheme, which closed in 2002, and (b) under the extension to the scheme announced by her Department;
	(2)  what the average payment made to each claimant from the Icelandic Water Trawlerman's Scheme was (a) under the scheme which closed in 2002 and (b) under the extension to the scheme announced by her Department.

Nigel Griffiths: Payments based on the enlarged list of vessels commenced in May 2004. Some claimants who had not previously qualified now did so and some who had already received a payment qualified for a further sum. The table shows the available information:
	
		
			  (a) Up to April 2004 (b) May 2000 to September 2004 
		
		
			 Number of claimants  receiving a payment 4760 395 
			 Average payment 8,567 3,096

Jaguar Cars

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects the closure of Jaguar Motor Production sites in Coventry will have on small business in Coventry.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 20 October 2004
	The company indicated on Friday 17 September 2004, that it intends to move production from Brown's Lane to Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, a distance of some 16 miles. It is anticipated that the small businesses in the supply chain would be largely unaffected.
	Jaguar's headquarters and administrative centre will remain in Coventry, as will the company's historic Wood Veneer Manufacturing Centre. It is likely the companies providing services direct to the workforce would be affected, though the impact would be minimal.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the members of the Shareholder Executive by (a) title and (b) date of appointment; and what other (i) corporate and (ii) governmental positions they hold.

Patricia Hewitt: The Shareholder Executive is staffed by civil servants and secondees from the private sector who are employed in line with departmental remuneration guidelines: they were all appointed over the last 14 months. It is not the DTI's policy to publish staff lists in parliamentary questions.
	Richard Gillingwater, Chief Executive of the Shareholder Executive, is non-Executive Chairman of Faber Music Ltd. (and also non-Executive Director of two Faber related businesses) and a non-executive director of Kidde plc and QinetiQ plc; Christina McComb, Director of Postal Services, is a non-executive director of Partnerships UK plc; and Steve Wheeler is company secretary of Precis (2424) Ltd.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what compensation members of the Shareholder Executive receive.

Patricia Hewitt: Members of the Shareholder Executive are either civil servants or private sector secondees and are paid in accordance with departmental remuneration policy. It is not departmental policy to publish salary levels of individual members of staff.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff are employed by the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: 56.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what measures the Government will assess the performance of the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: The performance of the Shareholder Executive will be assessed on the basis of the performance of its portfolio in the context of a clearly defined policy framework, both at an aggregate portfolio and individual business level. Specific targets and performance measures are currently being considered.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when planning for the reorganisation of the Shareholder Executive began.

Patricia Hewitt: The Shareholder Executive was established in the Cabinet Office in September 2003 with a remit to advise Departments on their shareholder responsibilities. It transferred to the DTI in June 2004: planning for the move began in March 2004.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1864W, on public shareholdings, if she will list the public shareholdings for which the Shareholder Executive (a) provides advice and (b) is directly responsible by (i) department, (ii) quality of owned shares, (iii) aggregate value of shareholding and (iv) proportion of owned shares.

Patricia Hewitt: The Shareholder Executive advises officials in Government Departments on the management of certain Departmental shareholdings, ownership or other finance interests. These entities, and their responsible Departments, are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Entity Responsible Department Legal status 
		
		
			 ABRO Ministry of Defence Trading Fund 
			 BBC (certain aspects of the Charter Review) Department for Culture, Media and Sport Public corporation 
			 British Waterways Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Statutory corporation 
			 CDC Group plc. Department for International Development Companies Act Company (100 per cent. of shares Government owned, shares not publicly traded) 
			 Channel 4 Department for Culture, Media and Sport Statutory corporation 
			 Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) Ministry of Defence Trading fund 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Ministry of Defence Trading fund 
			 Forensic Science Service Home Office Trading fund 
			 Met Office Ministry of Defence Trading fund 
			 National Air Traffic Services Department for Transport Companies Act company (48.87 per cent. of shares Government owned, shares not publicly traded) 
			 Northern Ireland Water Service Department for Regional Development, Northern Ireland Agency 
			 QinetiQ plc. Ministry of Defence Companies Act company (58.1 per cent. of shares Government owned, shares not publicly traded) 
			 Tote Department for Culture, Media and Sport Statutory Corporation 
			 United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Ministry of Defence Trading fund 
		
	
	The Shareholder Executive directly advises Departmental Ministers (or in some cases senior departmental officials) on certain shareholding, ownership or other finance interests. It also directly manages the day-to-day relationship with that entity. These entities and their responsible Departments are set out in the table as follows.
	
		
			 Entity Responsible Department Legal status 
		
		
			 Actis Capital LLP Department for International Development Limited liability partnership (40 per cent. Government ownership interest, 80 per cent. Government economic interest for 10 years) 
			 British Energy plc. Department of Trade and Industry Companies Act company (the Government does not own any share capital but would acquire certain economic rights and obligations under the proposed company restructuring) 
			 British Nuclear Fuels plc. (BNFL) Department of Trade and Industry Companies Act company (100 per cent. of shares owned by Government, shares not publicly traded) 
			 Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) Department of Trade and Industry Government Department and expected to be a trading fund by 2007 
			 Partnerships UK HM Treasury Companies Act company (49 per cent. of shares owned by Government including 4.44 per cent. owned by the Scottish Ministers) 
			 Royal Mail Holdings plc. Department of Trade and Industry Companies Act company (100 per cent. of shares owned by Government, shares not publicly traded) 
			 Royal Mint (9) HM Treasury Trading fund 
			 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Department of Trade and Industry Statutory corporation 
		
	
	(9) Responsibility for directly advising Ministers will take effect from the completion of the Royal Mint review.
	Each of the entities listed in the tables publish annual reports containing details of their financial and operational performance. The Shareholder Executive has not carried out a formal valuation of the portfolio.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1864W, on public shareholdings, what are the Shareholder Executive's advice-giving responsibilities concerning public shareholding.

Patricia Hewitt: The Shareholder Executive provides advice to Ministers and officials on all aspects of Departments' shareholding roles, including corporate governance frameworks, setting objectives, scrutinising business plans, monitoring performance, making appointments and approving remuneration frameworks.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1864W, on public shareholdings, what the Shareholder Executive's (a) operational, (b) budget and (c) appointment authority over public shareholdings for which it is directly responsible is.

Patricia Hewitt: For those shareholdings for which it is directly responsible, the Shareholder Executive's role is to advise relevant Ministers or senior departmental officials on all shareholder issues, including corporate governance frameworks, setting objectives, scrutinising business plans, monitoring performance, making appointments and approving remuneration frameworks.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her plans to include (a) public sector stakeholder, (b) quango, (c) NGO and (d) devolved territory input into the oversight of the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: The Shareholder Executive is responsible to each individual Department for the quality of the advice it provides, and consults, as appropriate, other organisations inside and outside Government as part of its work.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what codes of conduct apply to members of the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: They are all subject to the Civil Service Code.

Sutherland Commission

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what submission the British Government have made to the Sutherland Commission.

Douglas Alexander: Dr. Supachai, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), asked Peter Sutherland and a group of leading trade experts to examine possible reforms of decision-making and representation in the WTO and report back to him. The group has not requested submissions from Governments, and the UK has made none. The Government have set out their views on the issue in the recent Trade and Investment White Paper: Making Globalisation a Force for Good (Cm 6278).

Work Opportunities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department is taking in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions and other Departments to encourage and enable the economically inactive to return to work through social enterprises; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The cross Government strategy on social enterprise, published in July 2002 recognises the role social enterprise can play in offering work and training for those seeking employment.
	Through New Deal, Job Centre Plus enables individuals to seek meaningful employment through social enterprise as a transitional phase before entering the open labour market or as an ongoing sustainable option.
	Social enterprises can also offer employment opportunities for disabled people. The Department for Work and Pension's WORKSTEP programme offers help for those who require more long term support and aims to provide disabled people with a better range of opportunities in employment, by tailoring support to individual needs in supported environments, including social enterprise.
	In DTI's Small Business Service, social enterprises are at the forefront of our forthcoming support to help people with mental health issues explore ways into employment or self-employment. Many social enterprises will act as partners in supporting mental health clients through the process, and it is envisaged that a number of new social enterprises will be created across the country as a direct result of this initiative.
	DTI in partnership with DfES and the Home Office has piloted a Support for Enterprising Communities Project focussed on investigating approaches to supporting social enterprises to be more sustainable. The project resulted in a range of benefits including developing the skills of local people, a more diverse local social enterprise sector and creation of new employment opportunities.
	We also think social enterprise can play a role in the delivery of ODPM's recent report on Jobs and Enterprise in Deprived Areas which contains measures to improve the delivery of support to those considering self-employment, such as through better joint work between the various relevant agencies, better availability of information and work to improve access to small-scale finance.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Archaeology Qualifications

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the future of GCSE Archaeology following the decision taken by AQA not to offer this qualification from 2006.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 21 October 2004
	I would refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Braintree (on 15 September 2004, Official Report, column 1606W). I must reiterate the point made by the Secretary of State in his answer that awarding bodies such as AQA are independent organisations and as such Ministers have no powers to dictate which subjects they offer.

Class Sizes

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average (a) primary school and (b) secondary school class size in the West Suffolk constituency was in (i) 199697 and (ii) 200304.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(10): average size of classes taught by one teacher(11) -- West Suffolk parliamentary constituency(12)
		
			 Position as at January each year Number of pupils Number of classes Average class size 
		
		
			 Primary 
			 1997 5,730 220 25.7 
			 2004 5,230 210 24.5 
			 Secondary 
			 1997 5,570 280 20.2 
			 2004 6,130 280 22.0 
		
	
	(10) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(11) Classes as taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
	(12) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

Stephen Twigg: The amount of administrative expenditure incurred during 200304 financial year on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers amounts to 2,290,000.
	The Department also incurred Programme expenditure relating to the above but it would be a disproportionate cost to provide this information.

Education Budget (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the budget for (a) York College and (b) York Sixth Form College was in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) 1997 and (B) each year since.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC decides the funding allocations at individual college level. Information about these allocations is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with details of the budget for (a) York College and (b) York Sixth Form College in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) 1997 and (B) each year since. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Funding

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the capital funding available to schools for (a) 200102, (b) 200203, (c) 200304, (d) 200405, (e) 200506 and (f) 200607, broken down by (i) devolved capital expenditure, (ii) Building Schools for the Future funding and (iii) specific capital programmes.

David Miliband: holding answer 14 October 2004
	The table includes the information requested on the allocation of capital available to schools from 200102 until 200506. We have not yet announced details of allocation to capital programmes for 200607.
	
		Capital funding --  million
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 (i) Devolved formula capital to schools 295 438 685 775 805 
			 Delegated to local education authorities(13) 620 1,111 1,401 1,542 1,292 
			 (ii) Building schools for the future 2,115 
			 (iii) Specific capital programmes 1,402 1,755 2,117 2,455 1,294 
		
	
	(13) Delegated allocations to authorities include Basic Need, Condition and Modernisation and School Access Initiative programmes.

Education Standards

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of 11-year old pupils in Carlisle reached level 4 in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years.

David Miliband: The information requested was placed in the House Library in response to Parliamentary Question 167566, on 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 34W.

First Degree Courses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of the projected non-completion rate for full-time first degree students reported by the Higher Education Statistics Agency which is accounted for by students transferring to different courses at the same institution.

Kim Howells: HESA's non-completion rate has not been disaggregated to separately identify students who transfer to a different degree course and then fail to complete it. Students who transfer to a different degree course and successfully complete it are recorded under Obtain a degree in the following table; students who transfer from a degree to a different level of course (such as an HND) and successfully complete it are recorded under Obtain other award. Only students who started a degree course and failed to obtain any HE qualification are classed as non-completers under No award or transfer.
	
		Projected outcomes, full-time first degree students starting courses in 2001/02
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Obtain a degree 77.9 
			 Obtain other award 1.2 
			 Transfer to another institution 6.4 
			 No award or transfer 14.1 
			 Not known 0.4

Further Education Funding

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the extra funding given to further education in June (a) has been and (b) will be allocated to (i) school sixth forms, (ii) work-based learning providers, (iii) sixth form colleges and (iv) further education colleges.

Kim Howells: It is for the LSC to determine the distribution of funding to the learning and skills sector. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

GCSEs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students taking (a) GCSE mathematics, (b) GCSE history, (c) GCSE English, (d) GCSE French and (e) GCSE physics received an (i) A grade, (ii) C grade and (iii) pass or better in each year from 1989 to 2004; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Percentage of 15 year old pupils achieving GCSE/GNVQs at the following subjects and grades
		
			  Maths History English 
			 Year1,2 A*/A C A*-G A*/A C A*-G A*/A C A*-G 
		
		
			 1989  
			 1990  
			 1991  
			 1992 7.8 22.5 94.0 11.5 19.9 94.9 8.3 26.0 98.3 
			 1993 10.2 24.2 94.5 13.9 20.7 95.6 10.9 26.4 98.6 
			 1994 10.2 20.2 95.3 14.5 20.4 95.6 11.2 25.8 97.0 
			 1995 9.5 21.3 94.9 15.0 19.7 94.8 11.1 25.1 96.9 
			 1996 10.1 21.3 95.5 16.5 19.5 96.0 11.6 24.8 97.3 
			 1997 10.7 21.3 95.6 17.3 19.5 96.0 11.3 24.8 97.4 
			 1998 11.1 20.2 95.0 19.6 18.9 96.5 12.3 25.6 99.0 
			 1999 11.6 20.3 96.2 21.1 18.8 96.9 13.0 25.1 99.1 
			 2000 11.9 21.0 96.8 22.8 18.4 97.3 14.0 24.9 98.9 
			 2001 12.3 21.3 96.7 23.6 18.2 97.2 14.4 25.0 98.8 
			 2002 13.3 21.3 96.9 24.2 18.3 96.8 14.5 24.7 98.6 
			 2003 12.9 21.2 96.1 25.5 18.3 96.9 15.2 24.3 98.6 
			 2004 13.2 22.3 96.5 26.2 18.0 97.1 15.6 25.1 98.0 
		
	
	
		
			  French Physics 
			  A*/A C A*-G A*/A C A*-G 
		
		
			 1989   
			 1990   
			 1991   
			 1992 12.4 14.5 96.0 16.1 25.2 98.0 
			 1993 17.4 15.4 96.5 29.2 22.4 99.0 
			 1994 17.8 16.0 97.1 35.2 22.7 99.4 
			 1995 17.3 16.8 96.6 38.7 19.0 99.0 
			 1996 17.9 16.9 97.0 39.2 17.1 99.3 
			 1997 17.9 16.8 96.9 39.7 19.1 99.3 
			 1998 17.0 18.3 98.5 43.2 19.9 99.4 
			 1999 17.2 19.6 98.7 45.5 19.3 99.5 
			 2000 17.0 20.2 98.6 45.5 18.9 99.6 
			 2001 16.7 22.0 98.5 45.7 19.7 99.5 
			 2002 16.9 21.9 98.5 46.8 19.6 99.5 
			 2003 16.7 20.4 97.8 46.6 19.5 99.6 
			 2004 17.1 20.8 97.9 48.2 19.1 99.7 
		
	
	(14) Figures from 1989 are not available
	(15) Figures for 1992 are based on the results of 15 year old pupils in maintained schools only.

GCSEs

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 15 and 16 year olds in (a) Carlisle, (b) Cumbria and (c) England achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C in each of the last seven years.

David Miliband: The information requested is:
	
		Percentage of 15 year old pupils(16) achieving five or more grades A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ -- Percentage
		
			  Carlisle constituency Cumbria LEA England 
		
		
			 1997 40.5 43.5 45.1 
			 1998 38.6 43.9 46.3 
			 1999 41.6 47.6 47.9 
			 2000 44.6 50.6 49.2 
			 2001 45.4 50.8 50.0 
			 2002 45.2 52.7 51.6 
			 2003 44.9 52.9 52.9 
		
	
	(16) GCSE/GNVQ results are reported as standard as the results of pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August, and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.

Green Minister

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many meetings of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers were attended by the Department's Green Minister in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304.

Stephen Twigg: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills is DfES's Green Minister and in this role is a member of the Ministerial Committees of Green Ministers. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. This practice is now formalised by Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the financial situation of higher education institutions.

Kim Howells: The following table shows the overall financial position of the publicly funded higher education sector in England.
	
		 million
		
			  Total income Operating surplus 
		
		
			 200001 11,669 44 
			 200102 11,843 90 
			 200203 12,723 218 
		
	
	Source:
	HESA

Higher Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of working age people in the Buckingham constituency hold a qualification at degree level or equivalent or above; and what the national average is.

Kim Howells: The latest available figures from the Local Area Labour Force Survey 2002 show that the proportion of people of working age resident in the constituency of Buckingham who hold a qualification at NVQ level 4 or above is 31.9 per cent., with a 95 per cent. confidence interval of 25.9 per cent. to 37.9 per cent. This compares to a figure of 24.2 per cent. for Great Britain, with a 95 per cent. confidence interval of 24.0 per cent. to 24.4 per cent. NVQ level 4 covers degrees, HMDs and other undergraduate qualifications.

Higher Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of each age cohort entered higher education in each year from 1985/86 to 2004/05; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The individual year of age entry rates derived from the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR), for academic years 1999/2000 to 2002/03, are shown in the first table below. The HEIPR was developed to monitor progress towards the Government's goal of 50 per cent. participation in HE by 2010 and was not calculated prior to 1999/00. The available participation rate data for these earlier years, which show participation in terms of age bands rather than single ages, are shown in the second table.
	
		Higher education initial participation rate -- Percentage
		
			  Academic year 
			 Age(17) 1999/2000 2 2000/01 2 2001/02 2 2002/03 (provisional) 2 
		
		
			 17 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 
			 18 19.1 19.8 20.4 20.0 
			 19 9.5 9.6 10.7 9.9 
			 20 2.6 2.9 3.0 3.0 
			 21 1.7 1.9 1.7 1.8 
			 22 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 
			 23 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.3 
			 24 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.1 
			 25 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 
			 26 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 
			 27 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 
			 28 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 
			 29 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 
			 30 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 
			 Total(19) 41 42 43 44 
		
	
	(17) Age as at 31 August before the beginning of the academic year (e.g. 31 August 1999 for 1999/00).
	(18) HE entrants in academic year as a percentage of separate age population; excludes entrants with previous HE experience and excludes students who enrol on (and complete) courses of less than six months. The overall HEIPR is the sum of the unrounded full-time and part-time initial participation rates, calculated using student records collected by HESA and LSC, and ONS population estimates.
	(19) The individual rates are rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent. and so do not sum exactly to the totals which are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Note:
	Figures for 2002/03 are provisional. The figures have been updated with revised figures from all sources. Further revisions, in particular to the 2002/03 provisional figure, may be necessary following any revision to the relevant source data.
	
		Participation rates in HE by age group -- Percentage
		
			 Academic year Age participation index (API) 1 Younger mature entry index (YMEI) 2 Older mature participation index (OMPI) 3 
		
		
			 1985/86 13.8 7.7 0.3 
			 1986/87 14.0 7.4 0.3 
			 1987/88 14.5 6.7 0.3 
			 1988/89 15.1 6.4 0.3 
			 1989/90 17.1 6.2 0.4 
			 1990/91 19.3 6.4 0.4 
			 1991/92 23.3 8.1 0.5 
			 1992/93 27.5 9.5 0.6 
			 1993/94 29.9 10.2 0.7 
			 1994/95 31.6 n/a n/a 
			 1995/96 32.5 n/a n/a 
			 1996/97 33.1 n/a n/a 
			 1997/98 33.4 n/a n/a 
			 1998/99 31.3 n/a n/a 
			 1999/2000 31.5 n/a n/a 
			 2000/01 33.4 n/a n/a 
			 2001/02 34.9 n/a n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	(20) The API is the number of young (under 21) UK domiciled initial entrants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses, expressed as a percentage of the averaged 1819 year old population.
	(21) The YMEI is the number of initial entrants aged 2124 expressed as a percentage of the numbers of potential entrants in the age group i.e. those who obtained one or more A levels or equivalent qualification at the ages of 1820 but who did not then enter higher education.
	(22) The OMPI is the number of initial entrants aged 25 and over expressed as a percentage of the population aged 2534 in that year.

Increased Flexibility Project

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how his Department proposes to continue supporting the Increased Flexibility Project for 14 to 16 learners to work with further education colleges.

Kim Howells: holding answer 19 October 2004
	No decision has been taken by Ministers at this stage, but the question is currently under consideration.

Knives

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many reported (a) incidents and (b) accidents involving knives there have been in schools over the last 12 months.

Stephen Twigg: We believe there have been very few incidents or accidents. The YJB published a survey which suggests that 1 per cent. of pupils carried a knife in school for offensive reasons at some time, and 2 per cent. defensively, last year. The survey suggests that knife use is much rarer than knife carrying. HSE data on work-related accidents involving cutting tools do not give specific figures for schools.

Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Stephen Twigg: The total number of mobile phones in use at September 2004 is 1,120. Information on the number of mobiles in use in any given year, as opposed to the number purchased in each year, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The information on use of mobile phones by Ministers, special advisers and officials on a year-by-year basis could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	We have been unable to distinguish between those phones lost and stolen and the combined number is shown in the following table as is the cost of mobile services for each year.
	
		
			  Lost/stolen Cost of mobile phones () 
		
		
			 199798 1 170,045.78 
			 199899 0 168,298.72 
			 19992000 1 218,889.09 
			 200001 3 329,196.99 
			 200102 3 374,248.87 
			 200203 4 353,955.78 
			 200304 9 270,547.63 
			 200405 7

New Deal

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 25 October.

Office for Fair Access

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the costs of (a) establishing and (b) running the Office for Fair Access (OFFA); what the salary is of the director general of OFFA; how many staff he expects to be employed by OFFA; and what funds OFFA will have available (i) to raise standards in schools and (ii) to promote applications to universities.

Kim Howells: The Office for Fair Access will have an average annual budget of 500,000. Staffing will vary according to the demands of overseeing access plans, but we expect it to consist of the Director of Fair Access and 46 staff, some of them part time. The Director's remuneration is 100,000 pro rata, as originally advertised.
	OFFA will ensure that universities wishing to charge higher fees than current standard levels put some of their own resources into encouraging applications and supporting students.

Overseas Students (Glasgow)

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of overseas students who are studying in the City of Glasgow.

Kim Howells: This is a matter for the Scottish Executive and my hon. Friend may wish to write to them about this issue.

Private Language Schools

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason he decided to introduce voluntary registration for private language schools; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Register of Education and Training Providers has been established as a voluntary scheme following consultation with the sector.
	The register will consist of education providers who are able to provide evidence of their legitimate business. It will be made available to the Home Office to support them in making decisions on granting leave to study. The Home Office have proposed that once the register is established, leave to study will not be granted to a student wishing to attend a provider not on the list.
	To avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, those education providers who receive public funding or who are currently accredited by an existing accreditation scheme and have already undergone robust assurance measures will automatically be added to the register. Private English Language Schools have been encouraged to seek accreditation with existing accreditation bodies such as the British Council, the British Accreditation Council, or the Association of British Language Schools.
	The Department will look to review the operation of the scheme once it is fully operational.

Religious Schools

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) membership is and (b) terms of reference are of the joint working party with the churches and others on the financing of religious voluntary aided schools; when its report is expected; whether the report will be published; and if he will make it his policy to maintain a maximum level of contribution from public funds towards the costs of such schools at 100 per cent. of running costs and 90 per cent. of building costs.

David Miliband: The terms of reference areThe Voluntary Aided Capital Working Group exists to provide a consultative forum for identifying, discussing and advising on all issues relating to voluntary aided capital.
	Given that most, but not all, voluntary aided schools are linked to a faith, membership consists of the Anglican and Catholic Churches, the Foundation and Aided Schools National Association, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Association of Muslim Schools (UK), together with departmental civil servants. There is no expectation that a report will be published, and any recommendations from the working group will be considered by Ministers in the usual way.
	The flexibility to pay capital grant above 90 per cent. already exists and I have agreed that it can be applied where absolutely necessary, and on production of a rigorous business case, in respect of the small number of voluntary aided schools in the first group of areas to benefit from funding under Building Schools for the Future. This will ensure that there is no delay in procurement for all of the schools in those areas. The working group is to look at the options for funding future waves of investment.

Resources for Children and Learners

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 15354WS, on Resources for Children and Learners, at what level he expects the gap between per-pupil funding for 16 to 19 year olds in schools and those in colleges to be in (a) 200506, (b) 20067 and (c) 200708.

Kim Howells: On 16 September, the Secretary of State announced that total funding for the post-16 learning and skills sector, excluding Higher Education, will rise to 11 billion by 200708. We are doing further work in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) on the details of our spending plans for further education. Details will be published at the time of release of the grant letter to the LSC. It is therefore not possible at this stage to say what impact this will have on funding for 16 to 18 year olds in school sixth forms and further education colleges.

School Internet Access (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of City of York (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were connected to the internet in (i) 1997 and (ii) October.

Kim Howells: Figures for England, derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the following table. Figures at sub-national level are not available as the sample was not large enough to provide reliable estimates.
	The available information on the percentage of schools connected to the Internet is shown in the following table.
	
		Percentage of schools connected to the Internet. Primary, secondary and special local authority maintained schoolsEnglandas at 31 March (financial year end)
		
			  1996 1998 2003 
		
		
			 Primary 5 17 99 
			 Secondary 47 83 99 
			 Special 8 31 99 
		
	
	The latest information on maintained schools connected to the Internet was published in Statistical Bulletin 'Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003', which is available on the Department's web-site www.dfes.gov.uk/rsqateway

Schools

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects in Stroud constituency of (a) abolishing grant-maintained schools, (b) changing school admission arrangements and (c) balloting parents on grammar schools.

David Miliband: We have made no such assessments. Although we monitor national implementation of policies, it is for local education authorities to assess the impact of any changes on their individual areas, and to plan accordingly.

Schools

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received regarding secondary school capacity on Canvey Island; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: In addition to the representations made previously by the hon. Member, we have received correspondence from one parent from Canvey Island in respect of Essex Local Education Authority's (LEA) initial consultation about secondary education on the island.
	It is for each LEA to balance the supply of places in its area, to ensure schools serve the needs of their local communities and provide good quality education in the most cost effective way.
	If the LEA decides to proceed with a reorganisation of local schools it will have to publish statutory proposals, and there will be an opportunity for those affected to submit objections and comments for consideration. The final decision on any proposals would be for the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or, if the SOC cannot reach a unanimous decision, an independent schools adjudicator. The Secretary of State has no role in such matters.

Sixth Forms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence his Department has evaluated which demonstrates public support for new school sixth forms as proposed in the Five Year Plan issued in July; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are not aware of a formal study of community preferences for school sixth forms. However, area inspections, for example, show that there is oversubscription at popular and successful school sixth forms across the country. They also report a substantial exodus of 1618 students from areas where there is little choice of good 1619 provision to independent or out-of-borough maintained school sixth forms.

Sixth Forms

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to align college and school sixth form funding.

Kim Howells: holding answer 19 October 2004
	For the academic year 2003/04, base funding rates per qualification increased by 3 per cent. for school sixth forms and by 4.5 per cent. for further education colleges on a broadly comparable basis. In 2004/05, funding rates for colleges meeting their targets increased by 5 per cent., while those for school sixth forms rose by 4 per cent. Details of our spending plans for further education between 200506 and 200708 will be published at the time of release of the grant letter to the Learning and Skills Council.

Student Loan Company

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students applied for loans from the Student Loan Company for the current academic year prior to July;
	(2)  how many students who applied for loans from the Student Loan Company prior to July are yet to receive their loans for the current academic year;
	(3)  how many students who have applied for loans from the Student Loan Company are yet to receive their loans for the current academic year.

Kim Howells: holding answer 15 October 2004
	Some 521,000 applications from new and continuing students were made on or before 2 July 2004 (which is the published deadline for new applications).
	All applicants who submitted a fully and properly completed application form on or before 2 July should receive, shortly after their university or college has confirmed their attendance, either a fully-assessed loan payment or an interim payment (under our contingency arrangements for continuing students).
	Over 275,000 applications have been received after the 2 July, of which 96,000 are still being processed. As is the case every year, a significant number of students have applied after the published deadlines (some 90,000 applications have been received since early September). Local authorities and the Student Loans Company have never been able to guarantee payment at the start of term to late applicants. As in previous years, the Department has written to higher education institutions asking them to be supportive of students who do not have loans in place at the start of term.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Charles Clarke: The estimated cost of theft and fraud to the Department (excluding the Department's non-departmental public bodies) for the years 200102, 200203 and 200304 is as follows:
	
		Theft and Fraud
		
			  (000) 
		
		
			 200102 249,732 
			 200203 234,138 
			 200304 213,037 
		
	
	All cases of fraud or alleged fraud were investigated by the Department's Special Investigations Unit. This unit is staffed by fully trained, professionally qualified fraud investigators.

Tuition Fees

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total fee income from (a) tuition fees and (b) top up tuition fees was in (i) 19992000 and (ii) 200001; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The following table shows estimated income to English higher education institutions from standard fees:
	
		
			 Financial year  millions(23) 
		
		
			 19992000 697 
			 200001 714 
		
	
	(23) The fee income estimates do not include income from postgraduate students funded through the Research Councils.
	Provisions in the Higher Education Act 2004 permit higher education institutions to vary the fees they charge full-time undergraduates to a maximum of 3,000 per annum with effect from the 2006 academic year. Fees for part-time and postgraduate students are currently unregulated; nothing in the Act changes that.

University Admissions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what use he expects the Office for Fair Access to make of the benchmarks for university admissions published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency; and if he will publish the guidance he has given to the director general of the Office for Fair Access.

Kim Howells: It is up to the director of Fair Access what use he makes of the benchmarks published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. We first published the draft letter of guidance from the Secretary of State to the director in February 2004, with a revised draft in July 2004. The final version will be available shortly.

University Drop-out Rate

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students studying first degrees dropped out of their studies (a) at university and (b) in the first year of their studies at university in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the (a) drop-out rate and (b) number of students dropping out in the (i) first, (ii) second and (iii) third year of study at each university was in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: The available information on the non-continuation of students beyond the first year in each university, and the projected course non-completion rate in each university is contained in Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK. The publication was produced by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) up until the current year when the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) took over publication. The latest edition was published by HESA in September 2004.
	The figures cover full time first degree courses only and show, for each individual HE institution in the UK, the numbers and proportion of entrants who fail to complete their course. Copies of the publication are available for students starting courses in each year from 199697 to 200102. Copies of the publication covering data up to 19992000 are available from the House Library. Additionally, the publications up to and including figures for 200001, can be found on the HEFCE website (http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs) and the publication for the most recent year can be found on the HESA website (http://www.hesa.ac.uk/press/pr78/pr78.htm). For full time first degree entrants at UK institutions in 200102, table 3a shows that around 27,000 (9.0 per cent.) students did not continue beyond the first year and table 5 shows the number of students projected to not complete over the whole course is around 42,000 (14.1 per cent.).
	No data are held covering those students who drop out of their course after two or three years.
	Figures published in 2004 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the UK has one of the lowest non-completion rates among OECD countries.

University Drop-out Rate

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to improve course completion rates for first degrees at universities.

Kim Howells: The national rate of non-completion for those full-time students starting first degree courses in 200102 is 14. per cent. compared with 15 per cent. for the cohort starting in 200001. This represents one of the highest completion rates amongst OECD countries and we are determined to maintain this level of performance.
	We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to bear down on non-completion and their national co-ordination team, Action on Access, is working with institutions to improve retention rates and to spread good practice from those institutions with low drop-out rates and good access figures. In addition, the 273 million which HEFCE has allocated to institutions in 200405 for widening access and improving retention recognises some of the additional costs of supporting students from non-traditional backgrounds and those who are less well prepared for higher education.
	Research indicates that the reasons for non-completion are many and varied, but one factor is incompatibility between the student and their course or institution. It is vital that potential higher education (HE) students have the right information on which tobase sound decisions. This is why we have worked with the National Union of Students to develop a new guide to HE, linked to the new Aimhigher portal, which will help students search for information about any aspect of HE. We are working with HEFCE to develop a range of published information about the quality and standards of institutions' programmes and a National Student Survey. Both will give students better information to help them make informed choices about where and what to study.
	Another factor which has been associated with non-completion is financial hardship. In addition to statutory student support, discretionary support through the Access to Learning Fund is also available as a safety net for vulnerable students. The Access to Learning Fund is administered by Higher Education Institutions and provides additional non-repayable grant support to help students access and remain in higher education.
	From 20067, as a consequence of commitments made during the passage of the Higher Education Bill, we propose to ensure that students entering higher education will receive up to 2,700 in up-front support. We also intend to raise the levels of maintenance loan to meet the basic living costs of the mid-range student, in response to the recent Student Income and Expenditure Survey. Additionally, institutions will, under the terms of access agreements, be required to provide further financial help to poorer students in the form of bursaries.

University Drop-out Rate

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes in the methodology for the compiling of data for the non-completion rate for full-time students starting first degree courses were made between 200102 and 200203; and what the effect of those changes was.

Kim Howells: Full details of the changes to the methodology for non-completion are available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) website at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi in the documents Changes to PIs 2002/03 and Annex C: Projected Outcomes. In summary, non-completion is one of the categories of the projected outcomes. These outcomes are derived by linking students from one year to the next to create a matrix of possible outcomes which is then used to calculate the projected outcomes. For the most recent projected outcomes, which cover students starting first degree courses in 200102, changes were made to (a) the method of linking students and (b) the categories used in the matrix. The effect of the changes to the linking on the national figures is quite small. Some institutions show changes that appear relatively large, but these are mainly the small institutions where relatively large fluctuations are common. Similarly, the effect of the changes to the matrix at national level is small, and for most institutions there is no discernible effect.

University Funding

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding he plans to make available to universities to enable them to promote applications.

Kim Howells: The 'Aimhigher' programme provides funding to universities, colleges and schools in order to raise the aspirations and attainment of young people. The aim is to increase the number of applications from groups which are currently under-represented in higher education. Aimhigher is jointly funded by the Department for Education and Skills, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council.
	HEFCE also provides funds through its widening participation allocation to assist universities with the additional costs of recruiting and retaining non-traditional students.
	Announcements about future funding levels will be made in the new year, once the funding councils have received and considered their annual grant letters.

University Performance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he was consulted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency on the university performance indicators it produced in September; whether these indicators were subject to his approval; when he or his Ministers were first informed what the performance indicators were; and what assessment he has made of the impact on university admissions of the indicators relating to state school intake.

Kim Howells: The Secretary of State does not approve the higher education performance indicator statistics for publication. The Secretary of State and Ministers were informed by departmental officials of the broad results of the sixth annual set of performance indicators a few days before their publication. The Secretary of State has made no explicit assessment of the impact on university admissions of any of the indicators; admissions are for individual institutions to determine. However, the Government believe it is right to publish data which allow comparison between individual institutions, enable institutions to reflect on their own performance, and indicate to potential students the position in each institution.

University Teachers/Teaching

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he has given to universities about employing university teachers beyond the statutory retirement age.

Kim Howells: I have given no advice to universities on this issue. As independent and autonomous bodies, higher education institutions are responsible for their own employment matters. Like other employers, higher education institutions will have to take account of future legislation in this area, such as the age strand of the European Employment Directive, which the Government intend to implement in 2006. The Equality Challenge Unit, a sector body which provides advice on equality issues, will provide guidance to institutions on the implications of this legislation. This will be in consultation with other relevant organisations, such as the Universities and Colleges Employers Association and the pensions bodies that operate in higher education.

University Teachers/Teaching

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the teaching infrastructure of UK universities; and what plans he has for changes to the infrastructure.

Kim Howells: We have made no recent assessment of the 'teaching infrastructure' of UK universities, and have no plans to make any such assessments, or make any changes. In terms of funding support for institutions Government expenditure on higher education will increase by around 2 billion between 200405 and 200708, taking total investment to almost 9.5 billion. On top of all this, HE institutions will receive in full the extra income they generate from charging variable feesin steady state (i.e. by 2010) this will be around 1.2 billion extra. Institutions will be free to spend this as they see fit, including on improvements to the institutional infrastructure, which supports their teaching.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Boon Chanh

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Laos about the health and treatment of evangelist Boon Chanh, serving a sentence in Udomsay Province.

Douglas Alexander: British Government contacts with the Laos Government are limited, but Ministers and senior officials regularly raise our human rights concerns either in bilateral contacts, or through the EU. Most recently, we raised the case of Mr Boon Chanh in particular and the treatment of Christians in general with the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs at official level on 14 October. Our ambassador to Laos (resident in Bangkok) also raised the treatment of Christians with the Lao authorities in June; and we again raised general human rights issues, including prisoners, at official level in September. The EU Mission in Vientiane also monitors human rights developments and religious freedom in Laos.
	We are aware of reports of the mistreatment of Christians in Laos. Since the introduction of a Religious Freedom decree in Laos, we understand there has been some limited progress, with a number of churches being allowed to re-open and an overall drop in the number of believers detained.
	We will continue to raise our concerns with the Lao Government when opportunities arise; and to encourage it to implement recent reforms on religious freedom.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has collated on the living standards of British Indian Ocean Territory citizens normally resident in (a) Mauritius, (b) the Seychelles and (c) UK; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Information on the living standards of members of the Chagossian communities in Mauritius and Seychelles is not formally collated, but I am kept informed about this by officials and by visitors to these two countries. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not responsible for collating information on the living standards of people resident in the United Kingdom.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the ministerial meetings concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory which have been held with (a) representatives of the Chagos Islanders and (b) hon. Members in the last five years.

Bill Rammell: There have been numerous such meetings over the last five years. However, a comprehensive list of such meetings is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit the Cayman Islands in the next three years.

Bill Rammell: It is not our practice to announce visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.
	I have no immediate plans to visit the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on civil disobedience in the Cayman Islands after Hurricane Ivan.

Bill Rammell: There were reports of looting immediately following Hurricane Ivan. There is no evidence known to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Force of any organised burglary or theft. The majority of crimes reported were opportunistic, which targeted unoccupied homes that were badly damaged and stores which had become insecure.

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the legislative body of the Cayman Islands in the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands in the last six months. Members of the Legislative Assembly form part of the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands. On 7 October, following the recent hurricane damage, I met the Leader of Government Business and other Members of the Cabinet for discussions.

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political effects of Hurricane Ivan on the Cayman Islands.

Bill Rammell: The devastation and subsequent recovery and reconstruction efforts has meant that a General Election due in November this year has had to be postponed until 2005. A precise date has yet to be agreed.

Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation the UK Government will be sending to the Cayman Islands Tourism Conference.

Bill Rammell: The Cayman Islands Tourism Conference was due to take place on 15 November on Grand Cayman. Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan, this is now subject to confirmation. This is an annual event which the Governor of the Cayman Islands usually attends.

China

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy on the embargo on arms exports to the People's Republic of China.

Bill Rammell: As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 21 June 2004, Official Report, column 1449W, the European Council on 12 December 2003 invited the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) to re-examine the EU Arms Embargo on China. The issue was last discussed by EU Foreign Ministers at the 11 October 2004 GAERC, and will revert to a future GAERC.
	The Government continue to implement the Arms Embargo as set out by the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the late Derek Fatchett, in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 24647.

China

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to raise human rights concerns with Chinese representatives at the EU China Summit on 8 December; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The EU China Summit will be chaired by the Dutch presidency. No other EU member states are expected to attend. We do anticipate that human rights issues will be discussed.
	We regularly raise human rights issues with the Chinese Government, through our biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue and through ministerial meetings. I raised human rights issues with Vice Foreign Minister, Zhang Yesui, during my visit to China in July.

Conflict Resolution (Women)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken since 2000 in relation to section 21 of the European Parliament Resolution (20002025 (INI)) on the participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution.

Bill Rammell: The UK strongly supports the principles laid out in European Parliament Resolution 20002025 (INI). The UK is systematically looking for opportunities to ensure that gender concerns are properly addressed in resolutions, mission mandates and progress reports at the UN and other international organisations.
	The UK works closely with bilateral partners and NGOs that support activities in countries where there are multinational peacekeeping operations.
	The UK is providing financial assistance to programmes that support victims of rape and sexual violence, for example in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programmes to strengthen approaches to protection and assistance to women affected by conflict.
	The UK is active in providing assistance to empower women so they can play a greater role in building peace and strengthen democratic justice, for example in Iraq, which focuses on strengthening women's groups at Governorate level. The UK has also hosted workshops for women on democracy and democratic values, combining women's rights with long-term conflict prevention.
	The UK also provides support to the United Nations Development Fund for Women's Women, Peace and Security Programme, which aims to strengthen national and international approaches to protection and assistance of women affected by armed conflict and to support their role in conflict prevention, resolution and peace building.
	The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court gives victims, including women, a role in the Court's proceedings and the possibility of reparations. In September, the United Kingdom gave a donation of 25,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims established by the court to be used for reparations.

Consultants

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total amount is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Bill Rammell: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Craig Murray

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the United States about Mr. Craig Murray's speech at Freedom House on 17 August 2002.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is unaware of having received any representations from the US on this matter.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and on the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee made; what action was (a) proposed and (b) undertaken by (i) the EU and (ii) the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the five main (a) issues and (b) countries discussed by the Committee on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and on the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms during the Greek presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The European Commission convenes quarterly meetings of the Human Rights and Democracy Committee to consult member states about projects it intends to fund under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and to discuss priority funding areas. The UK is represented at official level by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development. During the first half of 2003, meetings took place on 11 March and 18 June in Brussels.
	Details of the thematic and geographical scope of the initiative, plus full details of the projects recommended by the Commission and approved by member states during this period are available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index en.htm

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on the arrangements for implementing Europe agreements with the countries of central and eastern Europe and free-trade agreements with the Baltic states met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Various EU bodies handled Europe agreements with countries with whom accession negotiations were under way under the Greek presidency, namely EU/Association Committees, Sub-Committees, Association Councils and Council Working Groups.
	Details for EU/Association Committees under the Greek presidency were as follows:
	13 June 2003: EU/Association Committee with Lithuania, Vilnius (not attended by a UK official);
	16 June 2003: EU/Association Committee with Estonia, Tallinn (attended by an official from the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union);
	18 June 2003: EU/Association Committee with Latvia, Riga (ditto);
	24 June 2003: EU/Association Committee with Czech Republic, Brussels (ditto); and
	26 June 2003: EU/Association Committee with Hungary, Budapest (ditto).
	Details for Association Councils under the Greek presidency were as follows:
	19 May 2003: Association Council with Romania, in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels (attended by an official from the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union); and
	30 June 2003: Association Council with Bulgaria, in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg (ditto).
	Sub-Committees for each country met regularly in Brussels under the Greek presidency on a variety of topics. There was normally no attendance by HMG at these meetings.
	Council Working Groups (Central Europe Working Groups) discussed the relevant Europe Agreements approximately once a week in Brussels under the Greek presidency. These were also attended by an official from the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union.
	Further information on the Greek presidency can be found in Command Paper Cm6097, Developments in the European Union, January to June 2003, the Greek Presidency, which was laid before Parliament in January 2004 and is available on the FCO website at: www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers

European Constitution Treaty

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the clause in the proposed European Constitution Treaty, Cm 6289, which prevents terrorists from being sent to the nation where the crime is committed if the death penalty is in force in that nation; and what action he would seek to take to deal with such alleged terrorists.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	HMG do not consider that there will be any changes to the current situation regarding expulsion of terrorist suspects. In that respect the provisions of the Charter simply reflect existing ECHR provisions. Article ll-52(3) of the Charter makes clear that rights in the Charter that correspond to rights in the ECHR shall have the same meaning and scope as the ECHR rights.

Iran

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the destruction of cultural heritage of the Bah'- faith that has taken place in Iran, with particular reference to the (a) Resting Place of Quddus and (b) House of Mirza Buzurg.

Bill Rammell: We have serious concerns about the persecution of the Bah'-s in Iran, and about the destruction of Bah'- property including at these two sites. We have raised our concerns with the Iranian authorities, both bilaterally and with EU partners, on many occasions. We have also urged the authorities to return the remains of Quddus to the Bah'- community for reburial elsewhere.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart in respect of charging or releasing the senior members of Saddam Hussein's former Government detained without charge or trial by the United States.

Bill Rammell: We are in regular contact with the US about detention issues. The cases of those senior regime members interned by the US in Iraq will be reviewed by the joint US-Iraqi Review Panel as with all other cases. Those who no longer pose an imperative threat to security will be released, unless they are suspected of having infringed Iraqi or international law, in which case they will be passed to the Iraqi authorities. 12 senior former regime members were charged on 1 July 2004 in the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. All 12 are being held by the Iraqi authorities as criminal detainees. The charges against them are currently being investigated.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to his oral statement on Iraq of 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 15155, what evidence caused him to accept reports in July 2000 in the Iraq Ba'ath party newspaper Al Thawrak that claimed victory over UN sanctions;
	(2)  what evidence caused him to accept the claim in August 2001 by the then Iraqi Foreign Minister that UN sanctions efforts had collapsed.

Bill Rammell: These were direct quotations from the report of the Iraq Survey Group, Key Findings. Regime Finance and Procurement, page 3, a copy of which was attached to the copies of the Statement by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, deposited in the Vote Office on 12 October.

Iraq

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the Secretary General of the UN during his visit to London on 19 October on alleged corruption at the UN during the Oil for Food Programme in Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 25 October 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed a number of Iraq-related issues with the United Nations Secretary-General, during his visit on 19 October. They did not discuss the allegations of corruption in the Oil for Food Programme, since these are being investigated by an independent inquiry appointed by the UN Secretary-General in April. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials maintain regular contact with the inquiry team.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 October 2004, Official Report, column 469W, on Iraq, if he will make a statement on the length of time between the start of the UK and US occupation of Iraq and the official withdrawal of the 45-minute claim.

Jack Straw: Coalition forces crossed the border into Iraq on 20 March 2003. The intelligence referred to was formally withdrawn on 7 October 2004 and I notified the House in my statement of 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 152.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding (a) has been and (b) is planned to be disbursed by the occupying powers in Iraq to (i) the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions and (ii) other trade union bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: In February this year the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) organised a fact-finding mission, partly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which looked at the state of trades unions in Baghdad, Basra and northern Iraq. We understand that ICFTU is now developing proposals for assisting the fledgling trade union movement. The Department for International Development has also received requests to support trade unions in Iraq from UNISON and from the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions and is in discussion with them over possible assistance.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Iraqi Interim Authority concerning rights of trade union membership and activity in the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The transitional administrative law, which came into force on 28 June, made provision for the right of all Iraqis to join unions. We understand that 12 unions have already been set up and four open conferences have been held.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK abstention at the UN Security Council concerning Israeli military action in northern Gaza.

Bill Rammell: The UK abstained on the Security Council Resolution on Israeli military action in Gaza because the text on which we were called to vote gave the impression that fault lies only on the Israeli side. It is our view that the responsibility for taking steps to end violence lies with both sides. We proposed amendments that would have seen the Security Council resolution acknowledge Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism and make clear that the international community's concerns are about actions disproportionate to the threat. We also proposed that the resolution call on the Palestinian Authority to take firm action against acts of terrorism and their perpetrators. Unfortunately the sponsors of the text refused to accept our amendments.

Israel

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on flights by its military aircraft over Lebanese territory; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We raise the issue of overflights regularly with both the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the Israeli Defence Forces, including the Israeli Air Force.
	The UK Government have called on all parties to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon under the control of the Government of Lebanon, and to honour their commitments under UNSCRs 425, 1553 and 1559.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities regarding the deaths of Palestinian schoolgirls Ghadir Mokheimer and Iman Al-Hasan.

Bill Rammell: We have made representations at every level to the Israeli authorities of our concern over the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza, and the number of civilian casualties, particularly children, which have resulted. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has raised specifically the case of Iman Al-Hasan, who was shot 20 times on her way to school. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also mentioned this tragic case in his statement of 13 October on the ongoing violence in Gaza. A copy of the press release is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. We have not raised the case of Ghadir Mokheimer specifically.

Mercenaries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure there is transparency in joint projects between the UK Government and governments who are using, or whose agents are using, mercenaries.

Bill Rammell: There are clear guidelines for officials who come into contact with Private Military and Security Companies, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House pursuant to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement of 12 July 2004, Official Report, column 53WS. These require transparency, both by requiring officials to gain authorisation for contacts with private military companies and by keeping records of those contacts.
	The Government do not support the use of military personnel, whether privately contracted or not, for purposes which are unethical or contrary to international law.

Uzbekistan

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last raised human rights concerns with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Bill Rammell: Throughout 2004, we have regularly and repeatedly drawn our deep concern about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan to senior level attention within the Uzbek Government. We have done this in ministerial and official contexts and together with EU partners.
	Both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Tashkent will continue to raise human rights concerns, including individual cases, with the Uzbek Government.
	As recently as 19 October, our acting Head of Mission in Tashkent drew attention to reports of the secret execution of prisoners who still have appeals pending with the UN Human Rights Committee. He received assurances of an immediate official response.

Uzbekistan

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Uzbekistan's decertification by the United States State Department for receipt of financial aid because of its human rights record.

Bill Rammell: The US State Department made clear on 13 July 2004 that the decision to decertify Uzbekistan was taken because of lack of progress in meeting its commitments under the Strategic Partnership Framework agreed in 2002 between Uzbekistan and the US.
	We have been forthright in our criticism of the Uzbek Government's human rights record. The US Government have also expressed similar concerns. We regularly discuss human rights issues in Uzbekistan with the US. Both the US and UK Governments have a policy of constructive but critical engagement to try to improve the human rights situation in that country.

Uzbekistan

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the United States about Mr. Craig Murray's reports that the (a) British and (b) US intelligence services were using information extracted from prisoners in Uzbekistan under torture; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: We have regular discussions with the US on Counter Terrorism and human rights.
	The UK abides by its commitments under international law, including the UN Convention Against Torture. The British Government, including the intelligence and security agencies, never use torture in order to obtain information. Nor would we instigate others to commit torture for that purpose. We are active in pressing other countries to live up to their human rights obligations and to deliver on human rights commitments they have made.

Uzbekistan

Alice Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) provenance and (b) reliability of the intelligence that the UK has received on Uzbekistan from (i) the CIA and (ii) other sources.

Jack Straw: All intelligence is validated and assessed. It is not the Government's policy to confirm or deny details of specific intelligence reporting.
	The UK intelligence agencies evaluate the reliability of all intelligence they receive before it is passed into the assessment process. This evaluation takes account of the possible motivation of the source as well as what kind of reporting record the source may have and the circumstances in which it was obtained.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with other governments about the replacement of Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara when the UN's mandate comes to an end.

Bill Rammell: The UK is in contact with other governments to discuss the extension of MINURSO when its mandate expires on 31 October.
	The UK continues to support UN efforts to resolve the conflict in the Western Sahara and to urge all parties to work towards a mutually acceptable solution that provides the people of the Western Sahara with an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives from the Polisario Front.

Bill Rammell: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met representatives of the Polisario Front in London in September 2004.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has never met representatives from the Polisario Front.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will recognise the Saharwi Arab Democratic Republic as the sovereign state in Western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: The UK continues to support UN efforts to resolve the conflict in the Western Sahara. The UK has no plans to recognise the Saharwi Arab Democratic Republic as a sovereign state in Western Sahara.

WORK AND PENSIONS

52-Week Linking Rule

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of administering the 52-week linking rule was in each year since 1998.

Chris Pond: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 26 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the annual cost of administering the 52 week linking rule in each year since 1998. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information specifically relating to the cost of administering the 52 week linking rule is not available. The Department now accounts for its administration and benefit expenditure by Strategic Objective, as set out in its Public Service Agreements (PSA), and by individual Requests for Resources (RfRs), as set out in the Departmental Estimates and Accounts.
	I'm sorry I can't be more helpful.

Benefits (Telephone Inquiries)

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the service standard is for the time within which calls to the national telephone inquiry lines for (a) attendance allowance and (b) disability living allowance should be answered; and what the latest figures are for performance against these standards.

Maria Eagle: The combined disability living allowance/attendance allowance helpline aims to answer 90 per cent. of calls received within 30 seconds. Currently it is answering between 40 to 50 per cent. within this target. Additional staff are presently being trained to help move closer to the target figure.

Departmental Buildings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what competitive processes were followed leading up to the sale of former Department of Social Security buildings to LandSecurities Trillium; and which other bidders were involved.

Maria Eagle: In April 1996, the Departmental Board of the former Department of Social Security agreed a feasibility study to identify and examine a range of options for the future management of the DSS Estate. The study, known as PRIME (Private Sector Resource Initiative for Management of the Estate), concluded that greater efficiency could be achieved if both ownership and management of the Estate was transferred to the private sector.
	The opportunity was advertised on 28 June 1996 in the Financial Times and in the European Journal in accordance with EEC/GATT rules. Thirty initial written response were received, and a sift exercise was completed, from which six candidates were chosen. Three consortia were selected to go forward to the final selection process. However, all three consortia had placed a lot of conditions on their tender submissions which could have had a material effect on the final price. It was agreed, therefore, to extend the procurement process to a fourth stage. Consequently, two consortia, Mapeley Holdings Ltd. and PPM (Partnership Property Management Ltd.), now known as LandSecurities Trillium, were invited to submit best and final offers which removed all conditions.
	Following evaluation of the tenders, Trillium was chosen as preferred supplier. This was endorsed by the Departmental Board at their July meeting and, after obtaining Ministerial agreement, an announcement was made on 31 July 1997. The finer details of the contract were negotiated through to December and an agreement was formally signed at mid-day on Christmas Eve.
	The evaluation process was a tightly controlled three stage procedure and included eight review groups with technical and operational representatives from across DSS, and who were independent from the project team.

Departmental Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department is having with Land Security Trillium concerning the (a) vacation and (b) alternative use of the Department's buildings.

Maria Eagle: DWP has established a range of forums at different levels of management, where the nature and timing of the vacation of accommodation is discussed with LandSecurities Trillium. In addition to these discussions Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is advised of the Department's intention to vacate such accommodation.
	The policy of disposing of all surplus accommodation as early as possible is in keeping with the Department's Estate Strategy and seeks to deliver cost savings with minimum delay.
	Where the property concerned is ineligible for surrender to LandSecurities Trillium, due to Contractual constraints, the department reports the available space to OGC for inclusion on their register of vacant Civil Estate. This is then circulated to those departments seeking accommodation who also register their requirement with OGC.
	In its discussions with LandSecurities Trillium the Department explores, wherever possible, the possibility of alternative Planning use if that would enhance the sale price.

Departmental Redundancies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) organisations and (b) agencies with whom his Department consulted before deciding upon the locations for (i) office closures and (ii) job reductions.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 26 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the organisations and agencies with whom his Department consulted before deciding upon the locations for office closures and job reductions. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has consulted at a national level with a number of key stakeholders concerning service delivery planning in Jobcentre Plus. These stakeholders included:
	Confederation of British Industry
	MIND (National Association for Mental Health)
	Royal National Institute for the Blind
	Child Poverty Action Group
	National Council for One Parent Families
	National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux
	Royal National Institute for the Deaf
	Third Age Employment Network
	Homeless Network
	Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
	Trades Union Congress
	Local Government Association
	Carers UK
	The other parts of the Department for Work and Pensions have been kept informed of the plans for change in Jobcentre Plus, and there has been liaison with the Countryside Agency and DEFRA on the rural impact of our plans.
	At a local level District Managers consult with local stakeholders on early plans for changes to service delivery arrangements. Local managers are required to consult widely as an integral part of the planning process, and the guidance to managers includes a suggested list of stakeholders:
	Local MPs/MEPs/MSPs/Members of the National Assembly of Wales
	Local Authoritiesboth councillors and officials of various departments (for example, Benefits, Social Services)
	Programme Providers/service delivery partners
	Employers
	A sample of key employment providers and their representative bodies, such as the local chambers of commerce
	Citizens Advice Bureaux
	Welfare rights organisations and organisations representing specific client groups (RNIB, RNID, DIAL, Gingerbread, representatives of local ethnic minority groups and other local organisations )
	Other Government Agencies (the Probation Service, Connexions, Careers Wales/Scotland, Inland Revenue, and especially the Countryside Agency)
	Health Authorities/primary care trusts/local GPs
	Learning and Skills Councils
	Local Colleges
	Government Regional Offices
	Housing Associations
	Police
	Landlords/Joint Tenants
	Groups of customers directly if wished
	This list is not exhaustive and local managers should identify any other local stakeholders. The views and concerns received are addressed before approval is granted to progress to more detailed planning.
	I hope this is helpful.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion, and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of rooms set aside by the Department for the use of smokers or nursing mothers and pregnant women is not available. Information on facilities for pregnant women and nursing mothers is contained in the DWP Health and Safety Guidance which is available to our staff via the departmental intranet site.
	We prefer to use the term quiet rooms rather than prayer rooms, to ensure inclusion for all staff. The Department holds information on 12 dedicated prayer rooms or quiet rooms. However first aid rooms, which can be used as quiet rooms, are available in all locations.
	Departmental guidance on The Employment and Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 includes a section regarding religious observance in the workplace and is available to our staff via the departmental intranet site.

Funding Allocation Formula

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which funding streams have been allocated by his Department using a funding formula which includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; and if he will list the amount of funding allocated in such a way (a) nationally by the Department and (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not allocate any funding using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000. However, the index is considered, alongside a range of factors, when determining where to place initiatives such as Working Neighbourhoods Pilot and Action Teams for Jobs. These factors can include measures such as the proportion of the population in receipt of benefits, potential conflict with other programmes and geographical spread.

Health Projects

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what feedback his Department has received on the progress of the Engaging Physicians, Benefiting Patients pilot; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Data capture for the Engaging Physicians, Benefiting Patients pilot and qualitative research with general practitioners is still continuing. An interim report is due by the end of this year, and the full evaluation report is scheduled for spring 2005.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of incapacity benefit claimants have undergone a medical examination in each year since 1990.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Information on the percentage of incapacity benefit (IB) recipients who have undergone a medical examination is not available. This is because IB case-load data are based on a snapshot while the examination data are cumulative. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit recipients who have undergone medical examinations
		
			 Period Examinations performed 
		
		
			 September 1999 to August 2000 397,284 
			 September 2000 to August 2001 402,302 
			 September 2001 to August 2002 509,831 
			 September 2002 to August 2003 524,894 
			 September 2003 to August 2004 467,256 
		
	
	Note:
	Information on the number of examinations performed is available only from September 1999.
	Source:
	Medical Services Management Information Reports

Jobcentre Plus

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus flexible service delivery sites are based in higher education institutions.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Michael Foster, dated 26 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding how many Jobcentre Plus Flexible Service Delivery sites are based in higher education institutions. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	There is currently one Flexible Service Delivery site based in a higher education institution:
	University College Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ
	I hope this is helpful.

Pathway Pilots

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have gained work after entering the Pathway Pilots; and how many remained in work after 13 weeks.

Maria Eagle: We are already starting to see very encouraging signs of an increase in off-flow rates from incapacity benefit in the first three Pathways to Work pilot areas.
	We estimate that, up to the end of July 2004, over 5,000 people had been helped into work as a result of entering the Pathways to Work pilots. This number represents those directly supported by the new reform programme and is double that achieved at the same time last year in those areas. The rate of improvement in Pathways areas is twice that of the rest of the country.
	Information is not yet available on the number of people remaining in work after 13 weeks.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Information Commissioner

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to include Network Rail within the statutory responsibilities of the Information Commissioner.

David Lammy: Network Rail is not presently subject to the Freedom of Information Act. However, Network Rail is required to provide information to the Office of Rail Regulation about its public functions. The Office of Rail Regulation is subject to the Act, and the hon. Member will be free to approach them.

Witness/Victim Evidence

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures the Department is investigating to encourage witnesses and victims to come forward and give evidence in court.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are determined to deliver improved services to victims and witnesses in the Criminal Justice System in a variety of ways. For example, the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill with its Commons Report Stage on 27 October 2004, contains a range of measures aimed at encouraging more witnesses to come to court and give evidence.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Anne Begg: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposals for a commission for equality and human rights.

David Lammy: The proposals for a Commission for Equality and Human Rights were made in the White Paper Fairness for All on 12 May 2004. The Government hopes to legislate soon on this subject.

House of Lords

Chris Bryant: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the future composition of the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are determined to proceed with further reform of the House of Lords. It is important to consider its proper role and functions before looking at questions of composition. Policy will be developed in the context of the Labour party manifesto.

Legal Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs how much the Department spent on independent research into the operation of the legal aid system in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Department spent a total of 450, 530.75 on independent research into the legal aid system in 200304. Some 237,895.47 was paid to Frontier Economics Ltd. for reports on the economics of the legal aid market. 212,635.28 was spent on the Independent Review of the Community Legal Service, undertaken by Matrix Research and Consultancy Ltd. The legal aid system is also considered as part of much wider studies, such as the Clementi Review.

Domestic Violence

David Chaytor: To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the availability of legal aid in domestic violence cases.

David Lammy: Domestic violence proceedings are a priority area for legal aid funding. The Legal Services Commission's Funding Code Criteria for funding domestic violence cases are wider than for most other family and non-family areas. Those who need financial assistance with their legal costs are able to obtain legal aid to go to court.

Judiciary

Julie Morgan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to make the judiciary more representative of the general public.

Christopher Leslie: We published a consultation paper entitled Increasing Diversity in the Judiciary on 13 October. The paper invites views on how to widen the pool from which applicants for judicial appointment are drawn, while maintaining the principle that merit must remain the sole criterion on which judicial appointments are made. The results of the consultation exercise and a programme for change will be announced next spring.

Money Claim Online

Clive Soley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Secretary of State's plans to extend the operation of Money Claim Online.

David Lammy: Since the successful introduction of Money Claim Online in February 2002, I am pleased to say that it has been extended to enable defendants and their representatives to file electronically a response to a claim and to view an electronic record of the progress of a claim. While there are currently no plans to further extend its operation, we continue to meet with stakeholders such as the Law Society who are keen to see the service extended.

Civil Legal Aid

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of civil cases in England and Wales were legally assisted in (a) 1980, (b) 1990, (c) 2000 and (d) 2003.

David Lammy: The number of civil legal aid certificates issued for representation in the civil courts rounded to the nearest thousand, was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 197980 192,000 
			 198990 391,000 
			 19992000 246,000 
			 200203 164,000 
		
	
	It is impossible to say what percentage of total civil cases this represents, since no record is kept of civil cases which do not go to court.
	The reduction in the number of publicly funded cases in the final year is due to the reforms introduced by the Access to Justice Act which introduced a more rigorous merits test and made personal injury and other money claims a matter for the private sector.

Civil Legal Aid

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what level of equity in a main dwelling the Government assesses as sufficient to deny a person the benefit of civil legal aid in the absence of any other capital assets or income.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question on 7 September 2004, Official Report, column 1052W. The responses are currently being analysed and the Government will announce the way forward on this and the other proposals detailed in the consultation paper, in due course.

New Deal

Julian Lewis: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 25 October.

Tsar Appointments

Paul Goodman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: No tsars have been appointed within the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

HEALTH

Alzheimer's Disease

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in North Southwark and Bermondsey.

Stephen Ladyman: All carers, including those caring for people with dementia, are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The new Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 introduces new provisions that will ensure that carers are made aware of this right.
	The carers grant, worth 125 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and services to carers to enable them to continue in their caring role. Carers are also entitled to cash payments for carers' services to enable them to purchase the type of support they require and promote a better quality of life.
	The Department has also revised and updated, Who cares? Information and support for the carers of confused people. At a local level, a range of services exist to support carers of patients with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Southwark Carers provide funding for breaks, travel cost support, counselling provision and advice, which includes welfare rights support, and housing issues. They also run a taxi scheme.
	In addition, carers who are in need of help or support, can access secondary mental health services directly via the North Southwark Community Mental Health Team for Older Adults. This ranges from informal advice and support, direct work with carers to enhance their understanding of dementia and caring abilities and access to specialist psychiatric and medical advice when required.

Alzheimer's Disease

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated by primary care trusts in North Southwark and Bermondsey.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not held centrally.

Alzheimer's Disease

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in North Southwark and Bermondsey in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), on behalf of the Licensing Authority, grants marketing authorisations for medicinal products provided that satisfactory quality, safety and efficacy data have been submitted for the medicinal product for use in the proposed indication and that the risk benefit is deemed favourable. According to the MHRA records, there is one licensed product, Ebixa (memantine hydrochloride), which is indicated for the treatment of moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease.
	Information on Ebixa dispensed at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority level is not publicly available, due to the small numbers involved. However, it is known that Ebixa was dispensed in the community within Southwark PCT in 200203.

Alzheimer's Disease

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of drugs for patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in North Southwark and Bermondsey.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has made no assessment. It is for primary care trusts, in conjunction with strategic health authorities, to ensure that services meet local needs.

Anti-cancer Drugs

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the strategic health authorities have made in the execution of their responsibilities in respect of the take-up of new anti-cancer drugs authorised by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Melanie Johnson: The national cancer director's report on the uptake of cancer drugs approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence was published on 14 June 2004. Strategic health authorities were asked to consider the findings and develop robust plans setting out action they intend to take for those drugs where uptake was significantly below the national average. The deadline for submitting plans was 30 September. All plans have been received and are currently being considered.

Breast Cancer

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer were treated within 31 days in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Data on waiting times from diagnosis to treatment of breast cancer were not collected centrally in 1997. A maximum wait of one month from diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer was introduced in 2001. Performance data for the whole period collected are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter Total patients treated Patients treated within one month Percentage of patients treated within one month 
		
		
			 200102 4 6,315 5,950 94.2 
			 200203 1 6,496 6,133 94.4 
			 200203 2 7,023 6,642 94.6 
			 200203 3 6,941 6,695 96.5 
			 200203 4 7,320 7,048 96.3 
			 200304 1 7,630 7,395 96.9 
			 200304 2 7,808 7,626 97.7 
			 200304 3 7,961 7,798 98.0 
			 200304 4 7,758 7,507 96.8

Chemical Exposure

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) reduce exposure to (i) biocumulative chemicals and (ii) hormone and endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Melanie Johnson: With regard to reducing human and environmental exposure to chemicals identified as of potential risk, the United Kingdom Government have for some time recognised the need to develop a fast, efficient and workable process for testing, screening and tackling those of most concern first, while minimising animal testing. To this end, the Government strongly supports the proposals by the European Commission for a new system to gather hazard information, assess risks, classify, label, and restrict the marketing and use of individual chemicals and mixtures. This is known as REACHregistration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals.
	In the REACH negotiations, led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Government supports the aim of the authorisation process to ensure that the risks from substances of high concern are properly controlled and that these substances are eventually replaced by suitable substances or technologies, with the aim of reducing risks to human health and the environment. The Government also supports the inclusion in REACH, of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals, very persistent and very bioaccumulative chemicals and substances of equivalent concern, such as endocrine, also known as hormone disrupters, when scientifically validated test methods have been developed and criteria established.
	The Department also considers the potential effect of endocrine disrupting natural substances in the diet and has provided, for example, advice on soy-based infant formula as a result of an extensive review of oestrogen-like compounds in plants by its expert committee (published in May 2003).

Children's Hospices

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met interested groups to discuss core funding for hospices for children; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I met with representatives of the Association of Children's Hospices and the Association for Children with Life Threatening Illnesses on 21 July 2004.
	Children's hospice services are funded from a number of sources, including services commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs) based on their assessment of the needs of their child population and their priorities. It is for children's hospices to enter into a dialogue with their local PCT, or the lead commissioning PCT where a hospice serves a wide area, who may seek to place a child with them and so establish the level of demand for their services.
	The disabled child module of the children's national service framework, which was published on 15 September, acknowledged the importance of palliative care services for children and recommended that high quality palliative care services should be available for all children and young people who need them.
	The funding of children's hospices in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

Dentistry

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to (a) North East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and (b) North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust for dental services in the past two years.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Expenditure in dentistry in North East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and North Lincolnshire PCT areas for general dental services (CDS) in 200203 and 200304 is shown in the table. Net expenditure is after deductions of patient charges.
	
		GDS expenditure in North East Lincolnshire PCT and North Lincolnshire PCT areas for 200203 and 200304 --  million
		
			  200203 200304 
			 PCT Gross Net Gross Net 
		
		
			 North East Lincolnshire 5.0 3.5 4.9 3.5 
			 North Lincolnshire 4.1 2.7 4.3 2.9 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.
	GDS expenditure is made up of GDS fee payments plus other costs. These other costs comprise: commitment payments; seniority payment; maternity, paternity and adoptive pay; long-term sick pay; continuing professional development allowance (CPDA); CPDA travel hours; business rates; training grant; clinical audit convenor, clinical audit secretarial support, clinical audit travel expenses, clinical audit payment and vocational dental practitioner salary and national insurance contributions. Some other PCT payments have also been included.

Dentistry

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists there were in (a) North East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust, (b) North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and (c) Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 25 October 2004
	The number of general and personal dental service dentists in the North and East Lincolnshire area by primary care trust (PCT) at September each year from 1997 to 2004 is shown in the table.
	
		Number of general and personal service dentists at September each year
		
			 PCT 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 North East Lincolnshire 46 46 50 54 51 50 48 49 
			 North Lincolnshire 35 36 40 42 44 40 44 43 
			 East Lincolnshire 61 65 71 73 79 81 82 81 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board
	Dentists are counted in each PCT in which they practise.
	PCTs were established in 2002 and therefore the areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the existing PCTs.

Dentistry

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered with an NHS dentist in Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of registrations in the general dental service for the Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (PCT) area at September 1997 to 2004, is shown in the table.
	
		General dental service: number of adult and child registrations in the Sutton and Merton PCT area at September each year, 1997 to 2004
		
			 September each year Adult and child registrations (thousand) 
		
		
			 1997 173.6 
			 1998 147.8 
			 1999 151.8 
			 2000 148.5 
			 2001 155.4 
			 2002 146.2 
			 2003 159.1 
			 2004 156.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The high registration figure for 1997 reflects the 24-month registration period. For 1998 onwards, the figures reflect a 15-month registration period.
	2. Registration numbers are live registrations on the Dental Practice Board's computer at the end of the month.
	3. Sutton and Merton PCT was established in 2002. Registrations are based on contract postcodes within the Sutton and Merton PCT area.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.

Doctors (Training Costs)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of training a doctor was in the last period for which figures are available.

John Hutton: In the period between entry to medical school and full registration, it is estimated that training a doctor costs between 200,000 and 250,000. Doctors generally continue training after full registration. As the duration and nature of post-registration training varies greatly, and as service and training costs are closely related, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the total cost of training.

EMIS System

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to general practitioners who do not wish to change clinical system under the National Programme for IT and who wish to carry on using the EMIS system.

John Hutton: The Department's policy with regard to local choice about information technology (IT) provision remains as stated in the guidance agreed jointly with the British Medical Association. Each general practitioner practice should have a choice of more than one system so long as these have been accredited against national standards and can deliver the required functionality. Guidance published on the national programme for IT (NPfIT) website makes it clear that existing suppliers play an important role in current and future national health service IT service provision.
	Local service providers have also been informed of the NPfIT position that GPs must not be forced to change system, and individual practices will continue to be supported where they have expressed a wish not to begin migrating in the short term to the preferred local system.

Glycogen Storage Disease

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded in-patient episodes of glycogen storage disease type one there have been in each year since 1989, broken down by primary care trust.

Melanie Johnson: Counts of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for glycogen storage disease by strategic health authority (SHA) of residence in England NHS hospitals for 199697 to 200203 are shown in the table. Comparable data prior to 199697 are not available centrally, nor is information giving counts of episodes specific to glycogen storage disease type one. It is not possible to provide figures by primary care trust due to the risk of breaching patient confidentiality.
	
		Primary diagnosis (ICD-10 diagnosis code E74.0) glycogen storage disease, count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) by strategic health authority of residence, NHS hospitals, England 199697 to 200203
		
			  Strategic HA of residence 199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA  2 2 3 1 6 5 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 1 7 6 1 3 3 4 
			 Q03 Essex HA 5 6 2 5 3 11 9 
			 Q04 North West London HA 13 12 4 7 13 8 7 
			 Q05 North Central London HA 4 3 3 3 5 1 4 
			 Q06 North East London HA 7 6 5 8 1 1  
			 Q07 South East London HA  3 4  1 1  
			 Q08 South West London HA  4 8 8 3 3 4 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 2 2 1 1 3 3 1 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 5 10 6 1 4 5 3 
			 Q11 North And East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA   5 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire HA 6 10 9 8 10 8 12 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 10 11 11 13 12 13 16 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester HA 3 4 11 6 6 8 5 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 5 3 3  9 4 5 
			 Q16 Thames Valley HA 6 3 12 11  6 1 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 9 3 4 2 2 3 5 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway HA 4 3 2 3 11 3 1 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex HA 10 5 4 6 16 7 3 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 5 2 2 3 3 2  
			 Q21 South West Peninsula HA 6  6 2 1 5 2 
			 Q22 Dorset And Somerset HA 3 4 4 4 2 1 1 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire HA 7  3 2 3 2 7 
			 Q24 Trent HA 12 2 7 7 14 14 16 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 1  1 1
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA   1  2   
			 Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country HA 1 9 3 6 7 3 10 
			 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA 7 2 4 5 2 3 3 
			 S Scotland   1  1  1 
			 W Wales 2 5 2 1 3 4 3 
			 X Foreign (including Isle of Man and Channel Islands 2 3 1 1  6 1 
			 Y Unknown 2 3  3 5  1 
			  England, NHS hospitals 138 127 132 121 146 134 135 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	2. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)
	An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	3. Grossing
	Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 200203, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Health Services (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated at the NHS walk-in centre in York in each year since it opened.

Melanie Johnson: Recorded attendances each year at York national health service walk-in centre since its opening on 24 April 2000 are shown in the table. However, the figures for 2002 are incomplete as data for July, October and November were not provided to the Department.
	
		York NHS walk-in centre
		
			  Number of attendances 
		
		
			 2000 10,276 
			 2001 27,241 
			 2002 25,129 
			 2003 39,027 
			 2004 (To date) 28,985

Health Spending (Islington, North)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average per capita spending on (a) primary care, (b) mental health and (c) hospital care in Islington North constituency was in each year since 199697.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure per weighted head of the population in the North Central London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes the constituency of Islington North, has increased from 623.57 in 199798 to 1,190.39 in 200203. This does not represent the total expenditure per head, as an element of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.

Hepatitis C

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the treatment rates of hepatitis C;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to conduct research on treatment rates for hepatitis C in other EU countries.

Melanie Johnson: We do not collect information centrally on the number of patients receiving national health service treatment for hepatitis C. We are putting arrangements in place to improve access to treatments recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), including antiviral drug therapy for hepatitis C. This will include the provision of data on hospital prescribing of NICE-recommended drugs to allow strategic health authorities to compare their own treatment rates with the national distribution and to take any necessary action locally.
	We have no current plans to conduct research on hepatitis C treatment rates in other European Union countries.

HER2

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the uniformity of availability of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2) testing across the country; and what steps he is taking to ensure that there is equitable provision of HER2 testing across the country;
	(2)  what measures are being put in place by his Department to ensure that the quality of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) testing is of a uniformly high standard across England; and what plans his Department has to collect data on HER2 testing;
	(3)  what plans his Department has in place for auditing and monitoring the uptake of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) testing.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect information about the availability or quality of testing for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and has no plans to collect such data or audit and monitor the use of this test.

Influenza Vaccine

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list the areas affected by the withdrawal of supply of Chiron influenza vaccines;
	(2)  what delays will occur in the influenza vaccination programme as a consequence of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency announcement on the Chiron vaccines;
	(3)  whether there will be sufficient stocks of influenza vaccine in England to carry out the full vaccination programme this winter for (a) over 65s and (b) other at risk groups.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has made available vaccine to surgeries most affected by the suspension of Chiron vaccines licence, from stock already purchased as part of our contingency measures.
	General practitioners order supplies of vaccine from the supplier of their choice.
	There are more doses of 'flu' vaccine available this year than ever before.

Influenza Vaccine

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the adequacy of influenza vaccine supplies;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioner clinics which (a) have had to and (b) will have to cancel immunisation clinics due to the shortage of influenza supplies; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many influenza vaccines which were intended to be administered by early November he estimates will be delayed;
	(4)  what action he is taking to ensure adequate influenza vaccine supplies in all areas of the country this autumn and winter; and what support he is giving to (a) vaccination clinics and (b) general practitioner surgeries to assist them in finding new sources from which to acquire vaccines.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 14 October 2004
	There are more doses of 'flu' vaccine available this year than ever before.
	To minimise the disruption to clinics, we made available vaccine to surgeries most affected by the suspension of Chiron vaccines licence from stock already purchased as part of our contingency measures.
	General practitioners are not set targets to vaccinate patients at set times but arrange their influenza clinics, usually throughout October and November.
	As soon as we were made aware of the problem, we made contingency arrangements with other suppliers to ensure that adequate stocks would be available to meet any shortfall and to minimise the impact any delay would have on the 'flu' programme.
	We wrote to all 'flu' immunisation co-ordinators in England on 28 September, 5 October and 21 October asking them to ensure surgeries in their area were aware of the issue and with details of how and where additional stocks of vaccine can be sourced.

Intravenous Chemotherapy Suites

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of IV chemotherapy suites; and what plans he has to increase their availability.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect information about the availability of intravenous chemotherapy suites.
	The national cancer director is chairing a review of chemotherapy services to facilitate the development and delivery of high quality chemotherapy services. This will address issues such as chemotherapy facilities and the infrastructure needed to support them.

Maternity Services

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many obstetricians have performed an external cephalic version in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what plans the Department has to promote wider use of external cephalic version by obstetricians.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of obstetricians who have performed an external cephalic version in a national health service hospital in each of the last five years is not collected centrally.
	In order to improve the safety and well being of mother and baby, the Department asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to issue clinical guidelines on routine antenatal care. The guidelines, antenatal careroutine care for the healthy pregnant woman, published in October 2003, recommend that all women who have an uncomplicated singleton breech pregnancy at 36 weeks of gestation should be offered external cephalic version. Exceptions include women in labour and women with a uterine scar or abnormality, fetal compromise, ruptured membranes, vaginal bleeding and medical conditions. Where it is not possible to schedule an appointment for external cephalic version at 37 weeks of gestation, it should be scheduled at 36 weeks.

Maternity Services

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of maternity services;
	(2)  what funding his Department has made available for maternity services in the last five years;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to increase choice for mothers in maternity services.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department is committed to improving the quality of maternity services and extending choice in maternity services for all women.
	Maternity services were included in the national consultation exercise Choice, responsiveness and equityto improve patient and user experience in the National Health Service (NHS). The results of the consultation were published on 9 December 2003 in Building on the Best: Choice, Responsiveness and Equality in the NHS.
	On 15 September the Department published the children, young people and maternity services national service framework (NSF). The maternity module of the NSF looks at how to make maternity services more flexible, accessible and appropriate. The maternity module of the NSF builds on the work contained in Building on the Best, including the emphasis on direct access to midwives and the development of birth plans.
	The Department has worked with the organisation Dr. Foster to produce local You're Pregnant maternity guides, which were published on 22 December 2003. The guides give women and their families information about a range of maternity services in their area.
	In addition to a 6.2 per cent. per annum increase in funding to primary care trusts over the last five years, specific funding has been allocated for maternity services. 100 million capital investment was made available over two years (200102 and 200203) to refurbish and modernise over 200 maternity units in England to improve the environment in which care is provided and better to meet the needs of women and their families. The 100 million was allocated on the basis of individual bids submitted by maternity units after consultation with local staff and users.

MRSA

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women contracted MRSA after giving birth in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many women contracted MRSA after giving birth by Caesarean section in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: These data are not collected centrally.

MRSA

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he envisages the role of patient and public involvement forums will be in future, with regard to particular renewed efforts to control MRSA bloodstream infections and increasing hospital hygiene inspections; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Patient forums have a statutory function to monitor the national health service from the patient perspective. Through this role, forums can contribute towards the raising of cleanliness standards in NHS premises. Forums are being invited to undertake cleanliness inspections and report their findings. Training will be provided to members of forums to ensure inspections are effective and consistent. Trust boards and their chief executive remain responsible for controlling methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections.

National Patient's Safety Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National Patient Safety Agency's reporting system will (a) begin to invite reports from the NHS and (b) publish information collected from reports on patient safety in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) national reporting and learning system is already receiving reports of patient safety incidents from the NHS.
	The system was launched on 25 February 2004 and NHS organisations in England and Wales should be connected to it by the end of 2004.
	The NPSA will publish a report that includes data from the national reporting and learning system set in the context of data from other sources, during 2005.

NHS Professionals

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total value of outstanding invoices over 90 days old owed by NHS Professionals to private recruitment agencies has been in each quarter since its inception;
	(2)  how many placements for (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) corporate staff have been filled by NHS Professionals with (i) NHS Professionals staff and (ii) staff sourced from private recruitment agencies; and what the total value of placements was in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not collected centrally.
	NHS Professionals meet the best payment practice in the NHS, which requires at least 95 per cent. of suppliers to be paid within 30 days. NHS Professionals has confirmed that it currently has no invoices for private sector agencies outstanding over 90 days.

NHS Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in the NHS are of each ethnic group.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): medical and dental staff and non medical staff by ethnic category(24) -- Number (headcount) and percentage
		
			 England at 30 September 2003 Number Percentage 
		
		
			 All staff 1,144,697 n/a 
			 All staff declaring ethnicity(25) 1,003,759 100 
			
			 2001 population census ethnic classification categories 
			 All 2001 ethnic classifications 935,776 n/a 
			 All 2001 ethnic classifications declaring ethnicity(25) 807,497 80.4 
			 White 696,507 86.3 
			 Black or black British 35,114 4.3 
			 Asian or Asian British 48,251 6.0 
			 Mixed 7,251 0.9 
			 Chinese 4,435 0.5 
			 Any other ethnic classification 15,939 2.0 
			 Not stated 128,279 n/a 
			
			 Earlier ethnic classification categories   
			 All earlier ethnic classifications 208,921 n/a 
			 All earlier ethnic classifications declaring ethnicity(25) 196,262 19.6 
			 White 175,131 89.2 
			 Black 9,183 4.7 
			 Asian 6,255 3.2 
			 Any other ethnic classification 5,693 2.9 
			 Not stated 12,659 n/a 
			
			 All ethnic minority classifications(25) 132,121 13.2 
		
	
	n/a = Not applicable.
	(24) From 1 April 2001, newly appointed staff have been asked to classify themselves using the ethnic categories listed in the 2001 population census. Existing staff will be reclassified over time but data returns currently include a mixture of 2001 categories and older information based on 1991 population census categories.
	(25) Calculations based on staff whose ethnic category is known.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census

NHS Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what powers the newly-appointed NHS Equality and Human Rights Tsar will have to ensure that the NHS employs a fair number of people from all backgrounds;
	(2)  what the terms of reference of the NHS Equality and Human Rights Tsar are; what targets he is expected to meet; and what powers he will have to enforce his remit.

Stephen Ladyman: The role of the national director for equality and human rights, Mr. Surinder Sharma, is to promote the Government's equality and human rights agenda across the health and social care system, including taking forward the Department's action plan on leadership and race equality; act as the chief executive's advisor and champion in the national health service; and work in partnership across Government, with equality and human rights organisations and other key stakeholders, including health and social care inspectorates, and the new NHS employers organisations.
	The director's brief is to deliver change at a national level, within the context of the NHS improvement plan, to help ensure health and social care services are available on an equitable basis and support the NHS in integrating equality and diversity into its corporate strategies and actions. Through this, the director will assist the Department and NHS in complying with their legal duties in relation to equality and human rights, and developing good practice, but he will not have legal enforcement powers.

NHS Staff

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average full-time equivalent gross pay of NHS (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) professions allied to medicine, (d) administrative and clerical staff and (e) ancillary staff in York was in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Wheelchair Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will adopt the service standards developed by industry for NHS wheelchair services.

Stephen Ladyman: Local wheelchair services should develop their own policies and procedures in accordance with local need and in consultation with local stakeholders.

North Cheshire Hospital Trust

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have received treatment for (a) type I diabetes and (b) type II diabetes and associated conditions in North Cheshire Hospital Trust during the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many people have received treatment for coronary heart disease and associated conditions in North Cheshire Hospitals Trust during the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many people have received treatment for stroke and associated conditions in North Cheshire Hospitals Trust during the last 12 months.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 25 October 2004
	This information is not currently available. The hospital episode statistics (HES) data is held by the Department and provides information on admitted patient care for England. HES will publish data for the 200304 financial year alongside the national health service chief executive's report in December 2004.

North Cheshire Hospital Trust

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have received support from NHS dieticians in Warrington in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many people with chronic pain have been referred to North Cheshire Hospital trust in the last 12 months; what services are available to them; and how many specialist staff, broken down by grade, are providing the services.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 25 October 2004
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Nurses

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have been trained in the UK in each year since the launch of the NHS plan in 2000; and how many he anticipates will be trained in the UK in each of the next 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of students entering pre-registration training in England each year since 19992000, the NHS plan target baseline, is shown in the table.
	
		Pre-registration nursing and midwifery training places
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 19992000 18,707 
			 200001 20,021 
			 200102 21,770 
			 200203 22,956 
			 200304 24,284 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly Monitoring Returns.
	The NHS plan target for increasing the number of training places for nurses has been achieved. Between 19992000 and 200304, the number of nurses and midwives entering training in England each year has increased by 5,577. Information on the number of training places anticipated in each of the next 10 years is not available, though latest figures for the current financial year show that there will be further increases.
	Information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the devolved Administrations.

Nursing Homes (Variation Certificates)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of a variation certificate from the Commission for Social Care Inspection for a nursing home with (a) five beds increasing to six, (b) 10 beds increasing to 11, (c) 20 beds increasing to 22, (d) 40 beds increasing to 49 and (e) 50 beds increasing to 100; and what the equivalent costs were in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection that the fee for the increase in bed numbers set out in the Fees and Frequency of Inspection Regulations 2004 is 792. The cost in 2003 was 660 and in 2002 it was 550.

Nursing Homes (Variation Certificates)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what a variation certificate from the Commission for Social Care Inspection for a nursing home covers, that is not the responsibility of a local authority's planning and building control officer.

Stephen Ladyman: I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that the CSCI will consider the suitability of the premises for the purposes of providing a care home and the adequacy of arrangements to provide the service, for example, staffing.

Nursing Homes (Variation Certificates)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the longest period is that may elapse between inspections of a nursing home by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Stephen Ladyman: Care homes are required to be inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) a minimum of twice in the 12 month period from April to March. This means that the gap between inspections may be up to almost a year, but will typically average six months.

Prosthetics/Limb Replacement Courses

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people attended publicly-funded specialist courses in prosthetics and limb replacement in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these are employed (a) in the UK and (b) by the NHS.

John Hutton: The Department does not hold information on the number of people attending publicly funded specialist prosthetics and limb replacement courses in each of the last 10 years or on the number of prosthetists employed in the National health service in England.
	Between 199697, the first year information is available, and 200304, the number of NHS funded training places for prosthetists and orthotists in England increased from 28 to 30.
	Information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the devolved Administrations.

Resistant Bacteria (Pet Transmission)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been undertaken by his Department into the risks of antibiotic resistant bacteria transmission from pets to their owners.

Melanie Johnson: No projects on this specific topic are included in the Department's antimicrobial resistance research programme.

Sexual Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to implement the recommendation of the Independent Advisory Group for Sexual Health and HIV to abolish the VAT levy on condoms.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government keep all taxes under review and any changes are announced as part of the normal Budget process. However, under our agreements with our European partners, we are not able to extend our existing VAT zero rates or introduce any new ones.

Speech and Language Therapy Services

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for speech and language therapy services of 'Agenda for Change'.

Stephen Ladyman: 'Agenda for Change' will facilitate service modernisation for speech and language therapy services, like other services. It provides an employment framework that is fair, consistent and transparent across all national health service staff. It creates better links between career and pay progression and greater scope to create new kinds of jobs in the interests of providing better patient care. The new knowledge and skills framework, which is part of the new system, will ensure that all NHS staff will go through an annual development review, which includes appraisal, measured against a knowledge and skills framework outline for their role.

Stab Wounds

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for stab wounds in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department's Hospital Episode Statistics data records admissions to hospitals of patients who have been injured by a sharp object including treatment for stab wounds. The number of admissions for this reason since 1997 are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199798 3,908 
			 199899 3,701 
			 19992000 4,152 
			 200001 4,351 
			 200102 4,673 
			 200203 4,218 
		
	
	Data on treatment in hospital accident and emergency departments, that does not result in hospital admission, are not held centrally.

Vulnerable Adults List

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the operation of the protection of vulnerable adults list.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government are committed to tackling and cracking down on those who abuse vulnerable adults and has introduced on 23 July 2004, the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) scheme. This scheme effectively bans people who have abused a vulnerable adult in their care from ever working in a care position again.
	The scheme places a statutory duty on care providers to check whether a potential employee is on the POVA list before allowing them to work in a care position.
	Currently, some 573 people have been referred for inclusion on the list. Of these, some 244 people have been provisionally listed and 14 people have been confirmed on the list. These figures include cross-referrals from the Protection of Children Act list.
	I am aware, that there have been initial delays in issuing POVA First checks. I am pleased to say that there has been a significant improvement in criminal records bureau's performance, but there is still room for improvements and officials will be monitoring the situation.
	The provisions of the POVA list are set out in Part VII of the Care Standards Act 2000 and will also be implemented in the national health service as soon as possible.

DEFENCE

Airborne Stand-off Radar

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) to enter service;
	(2)  when he expects the engineering difficulties with the Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) to be corrected; and what effect this will have on ASTOR's in-service date.

Adam Ingram: We have been informed by the prime contractor for the ASTOR project of difficulties associated with development of the radar and their plans to resolve these. We await firmer schedule details from the company that we shall then subject to detailed risk analysis to enable us to make an informed judgement on any potential impact on ISD.

Armed Forces Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the recruiting figures for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy have been for each of the past 10 years.

Ivor Caplin: Figures for 'intake from civilian life' are available monthly in Tri-Service Publication 1 (TSP1), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Chaplains

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) chaplains and (b) vergers are employed and paid by his Department; and on what (i) terms and (ii) length of contract they are employed.

Ivor Caplin: The information is currently being collated and I will write to the hon Member when this is available. A copy of the answer will be placed in the Library of the House.

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's decision to purchase combat clothing from China.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is not directly purchasing combat clothing from China. The contract let in June 2004 for combat clothing and other items was awarded to a UK company. The selection of where manufacturing takes place is a commercial matter for the UK prime contractor.

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the financial benefits are of securing combat clothing from China.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is not directly purchasing combat clothing from China. The contract let in 2004 for combat clothing and other items was awarded to a United Kingdom company. Due to the variety of products being supplied under this contract there are a number of manufacturing sources including China, the UK and mainland Europe. The selection of these manufacturing countries is a commercial matter for the UK Prime Contractor. The current contract provides an estimated saving of 23 million over previous purchase arrangements.

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department has issued one contract for the purchase of all combat clothing.

Adam Ingram: Since 2002 the Ministry of Defence's strategy has been to reduce the number of small contracts regularly placed for clothing. The aim was to award a longer term contract under a partnering arrangement that would introduce improvements in product and supply chain costs. Following competition, a contract was awarded in June 2004 for both combat and non-combat clothing manufactured by a cut and sewn method, and is expected to generate potential savings of 23 million compared to traditional procurement methods.

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the possible impact on UK manufacturers of the decision to award the contract for combat clothing to China.

Adam Ingram: The contract referred to has been awarded to a UK company, creating a small number of quality jobs and safeguarding approximately 40 other jobs. It is anticipated that further jobs will be created for UK staff during the life of the contract.

Consultants

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Ivor Caplin: Summaries of the Ministry of Defence expenditure on External Assistance, of which consultancy is a part, are available in the Library of the Houses for the years 199596 to 200304.
	Specific data on consultancy companies employed, the projects they were working on and the total fees paid or incurred in each case are not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Continuous Attitude Surveys

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last continuous attitude surveys in each service were (a) conducted and (b) completed; if he will place the questions asked in the Library; when he expects the next continuous attitude surveys in each service to be conducted; what plans he has to publish the armed forces continuous attitude surveys; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer18 October 2004
	The last Royal Navy and Royal Marine attitude surveys were conducted in September 2004. The closing date for both surveys is 31 October 2004 with initial analysis being available in February/March 2005. The next attitude surveys for the Naval Service will be administered in September 2005.
	The last Army attitude survey (SP6) was conducted in December 2003 and completed in August 2004. The seventh serving personnel survey (SP7) was conducted in June 2004 and is currently being analysed, with the eighth serving personnel survey scheduled to be conducted in December 2004.
	The RAF Continuous General Attitude Survey is issued quarterly in February, May, August and November each year. The last survey was issued on 1 August 2004 and is not yet complete. The last survey for which complete data are available was issued on February 2004 and completed in April 2004. The next RAF Continuous General Attitude Survey is due to be issued to personnel on 1 November 2004. The statistical results from the four quarterly surveys conducted in 2004 will be aggregated into a single report and published, on a date yet to be agreed, in 2005.
	I am today placing copies of the questions asked and responses made by service personnel in the continuous attitude surveys conducted in 2003 in the Library of House.

Cut and Sew Tender

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who (a) the printer of the camouflage fabric and (b) the company making up the garments are for the Cut and Sew Tender DC4 BESL/1002.

Adam Ingram: The prime contractor wishes to retain a business advantage and not publicly disclose his sub-contractors. The terms of the contract with the Ministry of Defence are commercial in confidence and I am therefore withholding the information requested under Exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the overseas offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation are situated; when each office was established; how many staff are employed; and what the cost of each was for (a) 200203 and (b) 200304.

Adam Ingram: Defence Supply Secretaries employed by the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) have offices in the countries listed as follows. In addition, a post has been established in Romania this year. DESO staff are also employed in support of specific defence export projects in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and their numbers are shown in the following table; costs of those offices are met by the customer Government and are withheld under Exemption 1b of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	
		
			  Date established Staff 200203 cost (000) 200304 cost (000) 
		
		
			 FSDS Office  
			 Oman 2003 2  107 
			 Chile 2003 1  (26) 
			 Japan 2003 1  (26) 
			 Kuwait 1988 3 245 288 
			 Qatar 1998 1 128 98 
			 UAE 1999 2 139 152 
			 India 1984 5 152 233 
			 South Korea 1988 3 461 203 
			 Malaysia 1986 4.5 198 185 
			 Greece 2000 2 125 132 
			 Brunei 1995 2 101 118 
			 Singapore 2001 2 210 158 
			 Australia 1989 2 133 135 
			 Turkey 1988 2 83 106 
			 South Africa 2000 1 90 105 
			 Project office  
			 Kuwait 1993 3 (27) (27) 
			 Saudi Arabia 1987 56 (27) (27) 
		
	
	(26) Post created in 200304; part-year costs not available.
	(27) Withheld.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which overseas exhibitions the Defence Export Services Organisation is organising a UK presence during 2004; and what the cost is in each case.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) does not generally provide direct organisational support to UK industry attending overseas exhibitions. During 2004 the Defence Export Services Organisation has represented or will represent the Ministry of Defence in support of the UK Defence Industry at the following exhibitions. The cost is shown in each case:
	
		
			 Country Exhibition Cost (000) 
		
		
			 Australia Pacific 2004 35 
			 India DEFEXPO 271 
			 Singapore Asian Aero 48 
			 Chile FIDAE 65 
			 Malaysia DSA 46 
			 Jordan SOFEX 183 
			 Sweden CBW 42 
			 South Africa Africa Aero and Def 107 
			 Greece Defendory 45 
			 Japan Japan Aerospace 37 
			 USA AUSA 128 
			 Chile EXPONAVAL 39 
			 EEZ area Gulf Maritime 3

Defence Support Vehicle

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the letter of 12 October from the Lord Bach to the hon. Member for Aldershot, how many jobs will be created in the United Kingdom by the award of the Defence Support Vehicle Preferred Bidder Status to MAN ERF UK Ltd.; and how many jobs would have been created under each of the other bids.

Adam Ingram: All the bidders in the support vehicle competition responded to the invitation to make proposals for industrial participation which were assessed by both the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry. The proposal tendered by the preferred bidder, MAN ERF UK Ltd., for the support vehicle demonstration and manufacturing phase, will create and sustain hundreds of new and existing jobs across the United Kingdom, many of which will be located in a number of small and medium sized enterprises. Bids from the other participating bidders also involved significant numbers of jobs in the UK, although none offered more than the MAN ERF UK Ltd. bid. However, the detail on numbers and locations of jobs is a matter for the companies.

EU Council of Ministers

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a Written Ministerial Statement outlining the key points on the agenda for each of the Council of Ministers' meetings at which his Department is represented in advance of each meeting;
	(2)  if he will make a Written Ministerial Statement outlining for each meeting of the Council of Ministers at which his Department is represented as soon as is practicable following that meeting (a) the key items of discussion, (b) the positions of the Government on those items, (c) the key positions taken by other member states that Ministers consider should be noted by hon. Members and (d) any preliminary discussion on the timing and the agenda of the following meeting.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1451W by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Straw).

Future Rapid Effects System

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual financial commitment is to the Future Rapid Effects System under the 2004 Spending Review.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's financial commitment to the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) programme is limited to the initial Assessment Phase. It is estimated that the Assessment Phase will cost 113 million and is scheduled to last for two years.
	Studies planned for the Assessment Phase will consider options to meet the requirement and only when these studies have been reported will we be in a position to accurately determine the programme's total procurement cost and future funding profile.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Technology Demonstrator Programmes for the systems and sub-systems of the Future Rapid Effects System to be completed.

Adam Ingram: Detailed schedules for the Technology Demonstrator Programmes (TDPs) have yet to be finalised.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to award the Technology Demonstrator Programmes Contracts for the systems and sub-systems of the Future Rapid Effects System; and what he estimates the costs of the programmes to be.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is considering options for taking forward the Technology Demonstrator Programmes (TDPs). We expect the first contracts to be in place in the first quarter of 2005 and although acquisition costs are yet to be established, the total cost of the TDPs are expected to be in the region of 85 million.

Nuclear Materials

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether test exercises involving force-on-force simulated attacks are conducted to evaluate the robustness of the design basis threat assessment made for nuclear materials in transit within the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: Periodic exercises are undertaken to test the ability of the nuclear convoy to resist an armed attack in line with the postulated threat.

Nuclear Materials

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether military vehicles carrying nuclear materials are subject to the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material, INFCIRC/274/REV.1 and subsequent revisions.

Adam Ingram: Stringent security and protection standards are applied by the Ministry of Defence whenever United Kingdom Defence Nuclear materials are used, stored and transported. These security standards are compatible with IAEA INFCIRC/274.

Nuclear Materials

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles deployed for the movement of (a) nuclear weapons and (b) nuclear materials to and from the atomic weapons establishments at (i) Aldermaston and (ii) Burghfield or in exercises relating thereto have been involved in road traffic (A) incidents and (B) offences, since September 2003, broken down by (1) date and (2) circumstances of the incident; what risk assessment was carried out in each case; whether these assessments are made publicly available; and whether there are outstanding claims from third parties arising from such incidents.

Adam Ingram: There have been no reported road traffic accidents or incidents in the period since September 2003 involving nuclear weapon/nuclear material convoy vehicles. There have been a number of incidents involving anti-nuclear protestor activity in the vicinity of Ministry of Defence nuclear weapon/nuclear material convoy vehicles, one of which has resulted in a protester being charged with road traffic offences by the Ministry of Defence Police. All convoy movements are assessed in advance to ensure that they are safe and secure, in line with Health and Safety guidelines. A Risk Assessment is carried out by the MDP on completion of every task and any necessary amendments published formally within MOD. This information is not made available to the public as disclosure could potentially be of assistance to terrorists or others who may wish to attack the convoy with a view to endangering security and defence interests and the lives of civilian and service personnel. One MOD claim remains outstanding against a protester. No claims are outstanding against the MOD.

RAF Operational Evaluation Unit

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress on the work of the Royal Air Force's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit.

Adam Ingram: The Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit became operational in April 2004. The unit operates out of facilities at RAF Coningsby.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Environment Agency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with representatives of the Environment Agency for England and Wales on the establishment of a parallel agency in Northern Ireland; and what research he has undertaken on the matter.

Angela Smith: There have been no discussions on these matters with the Environment Agency whose remit is limited to England and Wales.
	Prior to the establishment in 1996 of the Environment and Heritage Service as an agency within the Department of the Environment, a full study of the options for environmental protection was carried out. More recently a coalition of environmental NGOs commissioned Professor Richard Macrory to carry out a study of the options for environmental governance and his report was published in May 2004.

Environment Agency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing an environment agency in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: All the various options for delivering environmental protection were considered before the Government decided to establish the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), as an executive agency within the Department of the Environment, in 1996.
	I am aware that, during a public consultation carried out by a coalition of NGOs earlier this year, a majority of those who responded favoured the establishment of an environmental authority, structured as a non-departmental public body, to take over delivery of the services currently provided by EHS. The coalition has not yet presented its own recommendations on the way forward but I am due to meet its representatives on 2 November and I will, of course, consider any recommendations which they may present.

Influenza Vaccination

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure all those eligible for an influenza vaccination on the NHS in Northern Ireland receive one.

Angela Smith: On 16 September the Department was alerted to a problem involving Chiron, the manufacturer who was to provide the bulk of vaccine supply to Northern Ireland for this year's influenza immunisation programme. In view of the potential risk to public health, the Chief Medical Officer took a decision that the Department should intervene to procure alternative supplies. In liaison with the Department of Health in England and other UK Health Departments, officials have sought, therefore, to obtain vaccine supplies from manufacturers other than Chiron. As a result, by 20 October, 200,000 doses of vaccines had arrived in Northern Ireland, this in addition to 70,000 which GPs and Community Pharmacists had obtained earlier through the normal channels. A further 50,000 more than enough to cover all the at risk groups, are expected to arrive no later than 1 November.
	GPs and Community Pharmacists have been kept fully informed by the Department of the arrival details of the vaccines into the Province to allow them to plan their flu clinics.

Magilligan-Greencastle Ferry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fare-paying passengers from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland have used the Magilligan-Greencastle Ferry in the past 12 months.

John Spellar: Between 20 October 2003 and 19 October 2004, 288,670 passengers used the Magilligan-Greencastle Ferry. A record of the place of departure of passengers was not kept during this period.

Mental Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the public spending on mental health services was per head of population in each health board area in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Expenditure per head of population on mental health services in health and social services board areas --  per head
		
			 Year ended March: EHSSB NHSSB SHSSB WHSSB 
		
		
			 1999 61 56 56 81 
			 2000 64 61 61 85 
			 2001 75 64 61 90 
			 2002 78 66 74 90 
			 2003 86 75 77 92

Peace II

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels took to find a representative from victims wounded or left bereaved by IRA terrorists at its recent event entitled Building Peace and Reconciliationdelivering a unique EU programme.

Ian Pearson: The seminar on the PEACE II Programme, held in the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, Brussels on 29 September, was jointly organised by that Office, the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Special EU Programmes Body and the Irish Regions Office in Brussels. No steps were taken to obtain a representative from victims wounded or left bereaved by IRA terrorists. This was essentially a technical seminar, designed to show to a European audience how the EU PEACE II Programme was being implemented. The seminar included a presentation on an ex-prisoners project with a cross-community dimension which had benefited from the Programme. The organisers regret that the platform presentations did not encompass a wider range of projects supported under the PEACE II Programme.

Peace II

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels took to find a representative from the majority community in Northern Ireland at its recent event entitled Building Peace and Reconciliationdelivering a unique EU programme.

Ian Pearson: This event was an essentially technical seminar and no attempt was made to obtain representatives from particular sections of the Northern Ireland community. The audience included people from all Northern Ireland community backgrounds and people from across Europe. Platform speakers were officials involved at various levels in the implementation of the PEACE II Programme, with the exception of (a) a spokesman for a funded project which undertakes cross-community work with ex-prisoners; and (b) a Northern Ireland Member of the Committee of the Regions, which had originated the overall programme of seminars in Brussels regional offices, of which this event was part.

Peace II

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels spent in holding the event entitled Building Peace and Reconciliationdelivering a unique EU programme.

Ian Pearson: The cost of this event to the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, Brussels was 1257 (867 approximately).

Peace II

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was awarded by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development through PEACE II to the point to point steeplechases meeting held at Necarne Equestrian Centre, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh on 8 May; and under what measure number this money was awarded.

Ian Pearson: Peace II funding of in total of up to 20,685 has been awarded for the point-to-point steeplechase meeting held at Necarne Equestrian Centre, Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh on 8 May 2004. This funding is spread over a three year period under the Natural Resource Rural Tourism Initiative, Measure 4.2bOutward and Forward Looking Tourismenhancing the region as a tourist destination.
	The award will enable the promotion of a 3-year marketing campaign to increase visitor numbers to the event in an effort to ensure the long term sustainability of the point-to-point steeplechase meeting and help to increase tourism spend in the county.

Peace II

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the application was made to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for PEACE II funding for the point to point steeplechases meeting held at Necarne Equestrian Centre, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh on 8 May.

Ian Pearson: The application was made on 27 June 2003.

Prisoners (Women)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes are planned in the (a) facilities offered to and (b) treatment of female prisoners in Northern Ireland in response to the report from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in October 2004.

Ian Pearson: Prior to the publication of the report from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission the Northern Ireland Prison Service recognised the shortcomings of the regime for female prisoners in Mourne House, Maghaberry and transferred female prisoners to Hydebank Wood.
	Female prisoners have access to a full range of education and recreational programmes, chaplains and religious worship. Time out of their cells is maximised and twenty four hour access to sanitation facilities is available.
	The staff gender imbalance was addressed through the appointment of female managers and officers resulting in a 70/30 per cent. balance of female to male staff.
	The Prison Service are currently delivering gender specific training to all staff working with the female population.
	All prisoners and inmates are consulted on a regular basis about a range of issues including regime development.

PRIME MINISTER

Expenses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the cost was of the (a) accommodation, (b) travel and (c) other expenses for publicly-funded (i) officials, (ii) aides and (iii) security personnel who accompanied his wife on her recent speaking tour to Malta;
	(2)  how many publicly-funded (a) officials, (b) aides and (c) security personnel accompanied his wife on her speaking tour to Malta; and what the (i) names and (ii) functions of each are.

Tony Blair: Mrs Blair visited Malta at the invitation of the Slynn Foundation where she spoke on an unpaid basis at a seminar organised by the Foundation entitled Applying Law and Human Rights in Malta.
	One official accompanied her to deal with administrative issues. Accommodation was provided by the British High Commission. Additional costs were met by the hosts. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.

Expenses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the expected cost is of the (a) accommodation, (b) travel and (c) other expenses for publicly-funded (i) officials, (ii) aides and (iii) security personnel accompanying his wife to the United States on her speaking tour;
	(2)  how many publicly-funded (a) officials, (b) aides and (c) security personnel will accompany his wife to the United States on her speaking tour; and what the (i) names and (ii) functions of each are.

Tony Blair: This is a private visit. This is not a matter for the Government.
	It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.